


The Corpse Bride Groom

by rexlover180



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Corpse Bride AU, Halloween, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-04-25 11:56:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4959727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexlover180/pseuds/rexlover180
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ivan's family had been wealthy, but that was quite some time ago. With money tight, someone in the family has to get married, but his sisters don't want to. In his own sacrifice, Ivan allows himself to be wrapped up in an arranged marriage to a girl in a rich family. But when Ivan stumbles over his words and is too embarrassed to rehearse, he runs to a nearby forest. There, he gathers his wits and practices his vows, but the outcome of such an act is something he doesn't expect at all. Is he just dreaming or is that man really coming up, out of the ground?<br/>Heavily based on The Corpse Bride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“You should really stop fidgeting,” Katyusha tutted, kneeling down to pin the side of Ivan’s jacket. “You look great.”

“I do not feel great,” Ivan grumbled, staring ahead at the mirror. He didn’t even look ‘great’ in his own opinion. Hell, he looked like a wreck. He shook his head, trying to look at his reflection with more confidence. A fake confidence. He was dressed in a suit his sister had created herself, since his family couldn’t afford to buy him one. As always, her sewing was impeccable, on par with even the best tailors nearby. It was a plan black, though she had stitched in small details that resembled the stars in the night sky that Ivan greatly appreciated. His midnight black shoes were perfectly shined and his snowy hair was neatly combed, but it didn’t look right. His usually dull violet eyes were even duller. He didn’t like looking like this. The only comfort he had was the scarf his sister had made resting around his neck.

“It’s going to be okay,” Katyusha rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder as she stood back up. She was shorter than him by quite a lot, but the resemblance was still there. She shared his color of hair, which she kept short and expertly pinned. She was older than Ivan, but remained unmarried due to personal preference, despite nearly all of the men around her jumping at the chance to marry someone as pretty, and well-endowed, as her. She was also able to stay that way due to Ivan’s soon-to-be sacrifice.

“How can you be sure?” Ivan muttered. An arranged marriage. For money. The family on the other side of town greatly appreciated the Braginski name and status and had more than enough money to entice their parents. They had a daughter that was perfect to marry Ivan, evidently. But Ivan had never seen her, she had never seen him.

“You know our parents’ rules,” Katyusha sighed heavily, her hands delicately tracing the scarf. Ivan sighed. He wanted to wear the scarf for as long as possible, but it wasn’t ‘presentable’ enough for the rehearsal or even the wedding. He was almost afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep it after this stupid marriage. Ivan reluctantly unwound it and carefully folded it into his sister’s waiting hands. She smiled softly.

Ivan wanted to scream. He didn’t want to do this. But his elder sister didn’t wish to be married and his younger sister wasn’t near that age, nor did she want to marry anyone. Well, aside from Ivan. Their family was poor and needed to be married into money. He did not want to. He wanted to run away as fast as he could. But he loved his family.

“I still don’t support this,” his younger sister said from the doorway and Ivan turned to offer her a shaky smile. He had to reassure her that he was fine with this, that he accepted his fate. She scowled, standing under the doorway. She was very pretty as well, with the same hair color as her siblings, though she kept it long. She liked wearing dresses and being pretty, though Ivan had seen her on more than one occasion show that she enjoyed all of the activities men did. She could hunt, fight, and bet with the best of them. All of the men in town had learned to respect her, either out of their own free will or with her knife at their throats.

“I am fine, Natalia,” Ivan said simply. With a nod, he returned to looking at his reflection. That damned reflection. He looked worse without the scarf, which enabled him to show off the tie that Katyusha had also made for him. This she didn’t hold back on. It also resembled the night sky Ivan so admired, with a faint purple dusting across it for when the night was especially clear. He did not want to be married.

“We don’t know her,” Natalia grumbled. “How do we even know if she’ll be a good fit for you? I know she isn’t…”

“Now, Natalia,” Katyusha said, looking over Ivan just in case his suit needed any more tailoring, “we need to keep an open mind about this. I’m sure she’s nice and lovely and…well-suited to our brother.”

“I doubt it,” Natalia scoffed, glaring out the window. Ivan worried his lip.

* * *

Mere hours later and Ivan was standing in an unfamiliar house, standing before a priest in front of not just his family, but the family of his bride…who he stood beside. She was…rather plain. There was not much about her that was of interest and she seemed to regard Ivan apathetically, like he was a chore she had to attend to. He didn’t like her.

But that didn’t make him any less nervous. He didn’t like having so many people staring at him, it made him nervous. That was exactly the reason why he hardly left the house, except for shopping and going on walks alone. Talking to people he didn’t know made him stutter and lose his words and he felt useless. And now? Sure, he’d read the vows and knew what he should say, but the second he opened his mouth, he forgot the words. The priest looked livid with him.

“W-with this…um…” Ivan shook his head. His bride-to-be just stuck up her nose, like she was better than him.

“Hand,” the priest offered with a grumble.

“Hand,” Ivan nodded. “W-with this…hand…I…”

He dared a chance to look back, see his sisters. Natalia looked angry, but stifled it easily. Katyusha offered him a small smile that he offered back to her. That soothed his nerves slightly. But looking back at the priest made him go haywire again. He forgot where he was.

“Just…” the priest sighed, waving his hand at them, “just go to the candle part.”

“R-Right,” Ivan sighed, looking at the candle in his left hand. What did he do with this again? The bride-to-be scoffed, a tittering laugh escaping her lips. It made Ivan want to run so badly. He really couldn’t do this, could he?

“With this candle,” the priest supplied angrily and Ivan nodded. Right. He was supposed to be speaking.

“W-with this…c-candle,” Ivan mumbled. He looked to the already lit candle on the table. He was supposed to light it, right? He watched the flame flicker as he sighed heavily. His hand was shaking too badly for him to think about moving the damn candle. “I will…um…With…With this…”

“Are you even taking this seriously?” the bride-to-be shot at him and he flinched, dropping the candle. He winced when it clattered to the ground.

“I am trying,” Ivan muttered under his breath.

“Try harder,” she seethed and Ivan glared at her. This was the fate he’d resigned himself to?

“Make me,” Ivan growled back at her quietly and she stared at him in shock. Oh, he would not let himself be bossed around by anyone, let alone her. If this was how their marriage was going to go, this would be quite interesting.

“Let’s take a break,” the priest grumbled, glaring at Ivan. As if this was entirely his own fault. “You obviously need more time to learn your vows.”

“Fine,” Ivan said simply, turning on his heel and leaving the room before anyone had a chance to stand up. Fine. He’d take a damn break… The doors to the room closed solidly behind him and he stopped in his tracks, letting out a long breath of air. He was useless at this, wasn’t he? He shook his head, storming out of the stupid, opulent house that the rich people could afford. He didn’t like it there, it was stuffy and there wasn’t enough life to it. It just seemed so dead inside…

When Ivan stepped out into the chilly afternoon air, he realized he didn’t know what to do. He was taking a break, yeah. But where? What was he going to do? He didn’t know the vows enough to practice them… But the idea of going back into that house made him shiver. No, he’d get some air, clear his head, and then come back. They could deal with waiting for him. He felt bad for leaving his sisters behind, but they could socialize far easier than he could.

He walked forward and glanced around. There was a forest just behind the manor, its leaves wilting and changing colors with the season. Ivan sighed with a small smile, that would be perfect. He walked with purpose, feeling rather exposed in the flat land to the forest, sighing with relief when he reached the shelter of the trees. He finally allowed himself to slouch.

He walked forward, shoving his hands into his pockets. But in the right pocket, his hand brushed against something cold, circular. His blood ran cold as he pulled out the small, simple ring and frowned. He was so busy being a bumbling idiot that they hadn’t even gotten to the ring part… Ivan stared at the ring as he walked, easily stepping over roots and bushes. He wasn’t even startled by the small animals that darted around his feet. No, he felt at home here, where he could be alone, without worrying about what others thought of him.

“What is it, again?” he sighed. “There’s the candle, the hand, the wine, the ring, is there anything else?” He continued his musings, curling a fist around the ring to keep it safe and warm. This was important to his family, he could do this. He reached a small clearing where quite a few leaves had scattered onto the ground. There was a little root sticking out from the ground under a tree and Ivan smiled slightly.

He could practice here, couldn’t he? There was no one to stare at him, make him stutter, judge him.

“With this hand,” Ivan said, raising his right hand, the one holding the ring, “I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness.” Ivan smiled to himself. He knew the words, he could really do this. He knelt down to the little root. “With this ring, I ask you to be mine.” He slid the ring onto the little root with a smug smile.

Now why couldn’t he do that in front of everyone else?

He sighed, standing up. What if he tried it again, but imagining everyone staring at him? He shivered, no he really didn’t want to do that. He frowned. What could help him? Talking to his sisters? Maybe?

He heard a strange rustling in the leaves behind him and glanced back, expecting a rabbit or something, but he saw nothing. Had the root always been that big? He shook his head and started to pace, the leaves shifting under him.

That was easy, that was simple.

That was…making his vows for a root…

He shook his head, groaning heavily. When he stopped, the rustling around him continued and there was a…strange…cracking sound. He looked around curiously, but he couldn’t see anything wrong in the still woods. He turned back to the root, maybe he should pick up the ring and leave…

But there was something wrong with the ground. It was moving up, like a mound of dirt, the leaves being brushed away. Ivan could see more of the root now…it almost resembled a hand…He reached forward, intent on taking the ring and leaving as quickly as he could, but the branch moved.

The fingers of the hand gripped onto his wrist and he nearly screamed, but stifled it He tried to pull his hand back to safety, away from the root, but the hand gripped him tightly. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he tried to scramble away. The mound finally broke and he could see a…a head…

Was he hallucinating? Ivan practically felt his heartbeat in his throat as he pulled away with all of his strength. He heard a snap and he fell backwards. The hand was still tightly secured to his arm, but he could clearly see more…what looked like…bones…They made up an arm.

When he looked back to the mound, he could see that more than just a head was coming out, it was an entire body, trying to claw its way out of the dirt. He did scream this time, trying desperately to shake off the arm as he scrambled to his feet, but the arm wasn’t letting go.

He looked back to the mound and clearly saw a face, two eyes staring right at him, equally as surprised as him, it seemed. They were such a bright blue, much more brilliant than Ivan had ever seen. They stared at each other for a while, Ivan barely managing to put together the fact that this…whatever it was coming out of the ground…was a man. From what Ivan could tell, with the man half out of the ground, he was wearing a white suit, filthy from the dirt and mud.

The man smiled slightly and Ivan felt his blood run cold. He really was insane, wasn’t he?

“I do,” the man muttered and Ivan started running.

He shoved past all of the trees in his way, easily jumping over rocks that would have otherwise tripped him. This was insane, this was crazy, there was a corpse coming out of the ground! He shook his head, blearily realizing that he had no idea where he was going. He stopped to look around, see if there was any familiar landmark, maybe to see if he could find the house through the branches. But when he looked behind him, he could see that the corpse had made it out of the ground, was walking towards him. Ivan couldn’t even get a good look before he was running again.

“Wait! I-” the man tried calling out to him but Ivan shook his head, running as fast as he possibly could. The arm refused to let go of his wrist, no matter what he tried. He had to find help, he had to go to an asylum or something! He stopped running when he reached what looked like a rather large lake.

It was so quiet and calm…it didn’t even seem like a corpse was chasing him here. Birds chirped and fish swam in front of him. He looked back to where the man was following him, but he couldn’t see anything. No speck of white or…or anything. Ivan sighed with relief. Maybe he’d lost him.

When he turned around, however, he found himself face-to-face with the mysterious man and he screamed again, stumbling backwards and falling right on his ass. He winced, his breathing coming out raggedly.

“Are you okay? Here, let me-” the corpse held out his hand to Ivan, who simply shook his head and tried to back up even more. His head collided roughly with a tree behind him and he winced again. This wasn’t happening, this wasn’t real, he was crazy! “Hey, calm down,” the corpse laughed and Ivan glared up at him, but the man knelt down in front of him.

“Get the hell away from me!” Ivan snapped, trying to back up even more into the tree.

“Relax, man,” the corpse laughed slightly, easily crawling on top of Ivan so that he was straddling his lap. Ivan froze, unable to really comprehend just what the hell was happening. He wasn’t even sure if he was breathing anymore. “We’re not officially married yet, after all.”

“Not…” Ivan muttered through heavy breaths. So he was breathing… “What?”

“Relax, big guy,” the corpse chuckled before leaning his face closer to Ivan’s. Before Ivan could even register or try to fight, he felt a cold, stiff pair of lips against his own. His eyes snapped open, but the man on top of him had his eyes closed, content. He smelled like death and decay, looked like his flesh was rotting, and was cold as death.

Ivan was so overwhelmed, the birds chirping overhead were the last sounds he heard before he fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this AU before! Oh my gosh, I feel like a failure! Oh, well, I’m doing it now! And it’s October, so even better! I absolutely love The Corpse Bride and everything about it, so, yes, this is heavily inspired by that movie. I will not, however, be giving any detail to Ivan’s original bride. I’m not for that love triangle thing, sorry, so she’s really unimportant in general. Most of the people in the Land of the Living are unimportant, aside from Natalia and Katyusha. There’s a lot of people in the Land of the Dead, however. Very excited!
> 
> Anyway, I think the only ship is going to be RusAme. And I’m going to try not to make this so serious, like pretty much all of my other fics. It’s going to be fun and lighthearted like the actual movie. That being said, I feel like I should give a warning, the only warning necessary here, I think. Y’all have seen Corpse Bride ***Spoiler if you haven’t seen it yet***, y’all know that Victor nearly drinks poison to be married to Emily. I’m putting my own twist on that in this story, but that’s the only warning I think is necessary. Oh, um, and necrophilia, too, but that’s inherent with this AU.
> 
> Other than that, I hope you enjoyed! I’ll see you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

When Ivan opened his eyes, he felt like the world was spinning. He felt about ready to puke, really. But he held it in, his vision swimming as he focused. Four people stared down at him in interest. Three of them, he’d never seen before. One of them…

“He’s awake!” one of the unfamiliar men cheered. He had dark brown hair and bright green eyes. He held a massive smile on his face as he looked down at Ivan. The other two unfamiliar men looked with nearly the same expression, almost like they were…amused. One had ragged, snow white hair and sparkling red eyes full of mischief. The other had longer, blond hair and a single, shimmering blue eye, the other seemed to be missing, leaving a black space. Why were all of the eye colors of these strange men so bright? Finally, there was the man…the corpse that had popped out of the ground.

“Finally, I was getting tired of waiting,” the albino laughed.

“Awesome, he’s still alive,” the corpse from before sighed with relief, shaking his head.

“I’m…” Ivan struggled to come up with words. This wasn’t a dream, was it? “Where…”

“Let’s do this quickly,” the blonde with one eye sighed and Ivan felt three pairs of hands on his back, though some of them were smaller than the others…more boney. They pulled him up to his feet and Ivan stumbled forward, looking around at his surroundings. It looked like a bar, but the wood was so rich in color and texture and everyone around him seemed so much brighter, so much more full of life than anyone Ivan had ever seen. Where was this place?

When he turned to look at the three men behind him, that had forced him to his feet, he was near speechless. Both of the albino’s arms were completely bone, no skin or muscle to be found. His clothes seemed to hang off of him, giving Ivan the idea that he was mostly bone underneath. The skin around his face and neck that he could see was decaying as well. He was dressed rather opulently, almost like a priest…The blonde with one eye also had a hole on his cheek that enabled Ivan to see his jaw. He was dressed in a military uniform that was ragged and torn, also showing evidence of bone and rotting skin. The brunette was dressed similarly to a chef, but one hand was completely bone, the other slowly rotting.

Ivan turned back to the slightly familiar man, the only person he could possibly know in this situation. He fully took in his attire for the first time. He was indeed wearing a dirty white suit, though one arm was torn off, the arm completely made of bone that had been attached to Ivan’s wrist…It looked like his dress shirt was black, the tie white to match the suit. Part of his face around his right eye looked like it had fallen away, but he looked…mostly intact otherwise.

“You guys are gonna scare him,” the familiar man shook his head.

“Hopefully to death,” the brunette snickered behind him and Ivan shivered. What the hell had he gotten himself into? This was the last time he was proposing to a damned root. The familiar man shot glares at the others, who barely stifled their laughter.

“Where am I?” Ivan breathed out. He had nowhere to run, nowhere to go, no place where he could just sit and take it all in. Looking around, he could see other corpses and, hell, even full skeletons, walking around like it was no big deal.

“Um, long story,” the familiar man laughed, scratching the back of his head with his bone hand. Ivan noticed a slight glint in the light. The ring was still on his finger… No… “My name’s Alfred, by the way, just to make this…easier.”

“Wow, you married him before knowing his name?” the albino cackled and Ivan felt his blood run cold. No…Please…This had to be some kind of-of dream or something. He couldn’t be…He was…

“Sh,” Alfred hissed at him, glaring slightly, before turning to Ivan, who was starting to hyperventilate. “Oh, shit, please, I’m sorry. Uh, calm down, deep…deep breaths? I guess? Uh, we can get you a chair or…or something. Please don’t freak out.”

“Don’t…don’t freak out?” Ivan snapped.

“Hey, I’m trying,” Alfred countered. “Do you need to sit down?”

“What I need is to be told what the hell is going on,” Ivan said simply and resolutely, with more confidence than he felt like he had.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m gonna…explain, I guess,” Alfred sighed. “Are you sure you don’t need a chair?”

“Quite procrastinating or we just might tell him ourselves,” the blonde chuckled, slinging an arm around Ivan’s shoulders. The smell of death was even more present now and he stiffened. This wasn’t real…

“Damn, he’s fucking tall,” the albino laughed, stepping to Ivan’s side to size him up. Ivan was taller than all of the men in front of him. Alfred was the closest, just a few inches shorter it seemed. “I think you picked a good one.”

“I didn’t pick him,” Alfred rolled his eyes. “Guys, come on, he’s new to this whole…death thing.”

“He’s not even dead,” the brunette laughed, shaking his head as he admired Ivan from the other side. “I’m sure he’d make an attractive corpse.”

“What?” Ivan forced away the blonde’s arm, looking to Alfred for answers. He’d promised answers, hadn’t he?

“You proposed to me,” Alfred blurted out. “Your vows were actually…amazing. Confident and…anyway…I’ve been under that tree for a really long time and you’re the first one that’s done that and I guess I just really liked the idea of it…So, I accepted. We’re married.”

“We’re what?” Ivan snapped. “No…no, that’s now how that works. You need to have witnesses, a…a…priest…”

“We all saw it,” the blonde shrugged. “It was actually quite romantic. Until you started running like a scared baby.”

“And I was a priest, before I died,” the albino smirked, as if he was proud of this fact. “Heh, I guess I now pronounce you husband and…husband.”

Ivan swiftly turned to Alfred again, searching for an answer of some kind. Alfred shrugged sheepishly. The one time…the one damn time that Ivan can actually competently say those damn vows and he gets…engaged…to a…corpse?

“And you’re all dead?” Ivan asked, turning to a different question, a question that could maybe calm his mind, make this make more sense…

“Everyone here’s passed on from the other side,” the brunette said extravagantly, his hand in his air. “Thank God, am I right? That old place was shit!”

“Preach,” the albino snickered and Ivan shook his head. This really couldn’t be happening. How was he here? He wasn’t dead.

“I’m not…” Ivan shook his head.

“I brought you here,” Alfred smiled slightly. “I mean, if we’re married, we should really be living together, right?”

Ivan continued to shake his head, glaring at the ground.

“No.”

Ivan shoved past Alfred, walking right outside of that bar. He walked out onto a cobblestone street, lined with brightly lit up stores. He looked up, expecting the night sky, but he was met with just pure darkness. Not even a moon to be seen. He started down the street quickly, hoping that no one would think to follow him. Everything was so bright, everyone around him, the skeletons, the decaying corpses, the bugs, the animals…they were so happy. So much more exciting than anyone Ivan had ever met. Were they all really dead? They seemed much more alive than anyone Ivan had known.

“Wait!” Alfred called behind him. Ivan tensed for a moment before he relied on his instincts. He started running. “Shit… Wait!”

Ivan shoved past the corpses as he ran quickly, hoping to get away, maybe run back to the Land of the Living, if that was how this worked. He swiftly turned a corner, only to find another long line of shops or bars. Everyone was laughing and cheering around him as he ran. He nearly tripped over a child and shook his head, continuing. Surely if he got far enough, he could make it back to the Land of the Living.

He couldn’t stay here. He had his sisters to think about, he had to marry that girl from the rich family so they could keep living their lives like they wanted. He wasn’t dead! He had to find a way out of this place. And fast.

“Please, come on!” Alfred shouted behind him and Ivan felt his blood run cold. He was fast, wasn’t he? But he shook his head and ran just a little faster, just past his usual ability. He had to get back, he couldn’t just leave his responsibilities like this. And he wasn’t…couldn’t be married to a corpse that had been dead for who knew how long!

Ivan yelped when he felt a hand secure on his wrist and roughly pull him to a stop in the middle of the crowd.

“You’re not getting anywhere like this,” Alfred pressed, looking him in the eye. “What, do you think you can run all the way back to the Land of the Living?”

“I can try,” Ivan huffed, trying to rip his hand away, but Alfred’s grip was tight. It wasn’t his bone hand, wouldn’t come off as easily, it seemed.

“Why are you…why are you running?” Alfred asked. He wasn’t short of breath like Ivan. He didn’t even have breath. He probably could have ran for much longer than Ivan ever could.

“Why am I running?” Ivan scoffed. “You are dead. I am alive. I proposed by mistake!”

“Well, mistake or not, we’re married now!” Alfred pressed. “I don’t even know your name, man! Come on!”

“No, we are not married,” Ivan shook his head decidedly. “That ring is meant for someone else. I have a duty to attend to for my sisters!”

“Well, you also have a duty to me,” Alfred said pointedly, holding up his hand. “I don’t…I don’t care who this ring was supposed to belong to, it’s on my finger.”

“I did it on accident!” Ivan all but shouted. He didn’t care if they were attracting attention anymore. “I thought it was a…a…branch!”

“You just don’t get it!” Alfred tensed. “You don’t know how long I was waiting!”

“Do you expect me to live here forever?” Ivan scoffed. “I still have a life to live. I cannot stay here, I have other things, important things to attend to.”

“And I’m not important?” Alfred asked.

“We are not married,” Ivan hissed.

“You said the vows,” Alfred said lowly. “I said yes, we kissed, there were witnesses, and a priest and everything.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Ivan pressed.

“On purpose or not, it happened,” Alfred snapped. “At least give it a fucking shot! I’m willing!” There almost seemed to be a sense of desperation in Alfred’s eyes, like he really wanted this to work. Was afraid if it wouldn’t.

“I have a life up there,” Ivan shook his head. “I have to get back, for my sisters.”

“Well, you aren’t going back, okay?” Alfred said pointedly. “At least not without my help. I’m not saying you can never go back up there, I’m just saying that you need to give it a shot down there. I can’t be up there! I don’t belong there!”

“And you think I belong here?” Ivan rolled his eyes, he tried to pry his hand away again, but it still wasn’t working. He needed to think of a way out, anything.

“Well…no, but…” Alfred pouted. “Isn’t it better here?” Ivan stared at him in shock. “The people up there are boring and dull and waiting to die and coming up with ways to accept it. Once they’re here, there’s nothing holding anyone back. You can do anything, be anything. You have eternity, you’re not afraid of time anymore.” Alfred smiled slightly. “Everything is brighter and happier and…better. Isn’t it?”

“I am not dead,” Ivan said pointedly. Alfred was making good points, sure, but…No…He was living, he had to get back to his sisters, go through with this damn wedding. There was no telling how long he’d been away.

“Well, you’re not getting this ring back,” Alfred huffed.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Ivan heard a new voice and tensed. Alfred groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Not now, Arthur,” Alfred whined. Ivan noticed a man walking up to them from behind, he looked like a classic gentleman with his attire. A prim suit with a tailcoat and a top hat to boot. His face had a rather skeletal structure to it, like the skin was fading away. There was no hair to see, but he had twinkling green eyes and these massive eyebrows…

“I’d heard from Francis,” Arthur scoffed, walking up to them suspiciously, taking hold of Alfred’s skeletal hand to examine the ring. “You know, if you took care of yourself like I told you to, you wouldn’t lose your skin so fast.”

“This really isn’t the time,” Alfred grumbled. “I don’t need you acting like my dad right now.”

“You’re having a lovers’ quarrel?” Arthur asked suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest, looking closely at Ivan.

“More like a married couple’s spat,” Alfred said tensely. Ivan tried again to regain his hand, but Alfred’s grip stayed strong.

“We are not married,” Ivan said simply.

“I’m sorry to say, you are,” Arthur said pointedly and Ivan glared at him. The man took an uncomfortable step back, but cleared his throat, keeping his composure. “Alfred has a point, strangely enough.”

“Hey,” Alfred interjected.

“I don’t even know how he got you down here,” Arthur shook his head, looking back at Alfred.

“I refuse to go along with this,” Ivan said pointedly.

“Why not?” Alfred demanded. “What’s so wrong with giving this a shot?”

“I have to be married to someone else,” Ivan pressed. “I have a duty to my family, to my sisters, why can’t you understand that you…thick…idiotic-”

“That’s enough,” Arthur sighed, standing between them pointedly. He held onto Ivan’s arm, hitting Alfred’s wrist roughly, to the point where Alfred let go. Even Arthur’s hands felt bony through the thin skin on his hand. He calmly released Ivan’s wrist. “Both of you need time to calm down from this. You can talk after you’ve calmed down.”

“There is nothing to talk about,” Ivan said pointedly. “I am not staying here.”

“Then just try to leave!” Alfred shouted, turning quickly on his heel. “Whatever…you’ll come crawling back to me in no time…” He started trudging away and Ivan slumped.

“You best not break his heart,” Arthur said stiffly and Ivan raised a brow, looking at the man. “He’s fragile. But I’ve never seen him this animated. Don’t make him regret this decision.”

Ivan rolled his eyes, walking down the opposite side of the street that Alfred had gone down. He balled his hands into tight fists as he walked. Just who the hell did Alfred think he was? It wasn’t Ivan’s intention to marry anyone today, but of course he had to marry the wrong person! Who had zero intention of letting Ivan get away.

He paused when he reached a fountain which seemed to be spraying this odd, greenish liquid. Even their water seemed to be more colorful here. He shoved his hands into his pockets, watching the water ripple. He took stock of the suit he was wearing. There were a few tears in the jacket and a scrape in the knee, but his skin seemed to be fine, if not a bit red.

He couldn’t believe he’d actually fought with Alfred, a complete stranger. Ivan was never quite good with people. He could talk easily with his sisters and his parents, occasionally, but he fumbled with words in front of anybody else. It was especially worse when he didn’t even know the people. And yet…here…he’d had full conversations with these people. He’d barely stuttered.

Ivan shook his head, looking at himself in the reflection of the water below him. Staring back at him was that same reflection from earlier. A frown, dull eyes, a plain face…He wished he had his scarf with him… He could maybe find some comfort in that…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another chapter down! Look at me go! We’ve had some real conversations here, too, and more character introductions. I have to say, it’s really fun to reimagine everyone like in the Corpse Bride. I’m not doing the blue skin, because no one’s skin turns blue after they die. But they do decay, but I’m not gonna in-depth explain that, ever. Too gross for me. Anyway, we have Antonio, Francis, and Gilbert as pals in the afterlife, and we have Arthur! Who remains a perfect gentleman even in death. Gotta love him.
> 
> In any case, they’ve had their first spat and Ivan’s got some confidence here he didn’t have before. How interesting, maybe Alfred is a good influence on him.
> 
> I’ll see you guys next time, hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

Ivan walked through the streets peacefully, his hands in his pockets. He was deep in thought. There really wasn’t a way out of there, as far as he could tell. Based entirely on Arthur’s reaction to Ivan being down there, hardly anyone knew this ‘trick’ to going between the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living. If Ivan wanted to get back up, he would need Alfred’s help.

But there were so many things wrong with that. Going back to him almost signified the fact that Ivan accepted their marriage, which he did not. Not only that, but that fight had proved that he wasn’t about to change his mind on this matter. If he backed down now… Ivan shook his head. This whole situation seemed like some crazy dream to him, but it was a reality he just had to accept.

He stopped in the middle of the street, ignoring the people that had ran into him, when he heard the sound of music. It was a piano, playing a ghostly peaceful tune. Ivan couldn’t help but smile at the sound of it. It was so…pure. It echoed a sense of cold loneliness that almost resonated with Ivan. He looked to the nearest building, what looked like an empty bar… The piano was definitely in there.

Ivan walked forward out of curiosity, the door creaking quietly as he passed. The bar was indeed empty, random chairs overturned from the previous excitement, it seemed. On the far end of the room sat a single piano that looked almost dilapidated, but the sounds coming out of it, though slightly twisted, were absolutely beautiful. Ivan smiled slightly.

Sitting at the piano, in his dirty white suit, was Alfred. He looked so peaceful, playing such a sad song. A small smile played on his lips as he continued.

Ivan took a chair from one of the tables and slid it, just behind where Alfred sat, a little to the left. Alfred didn’t stop playing, but did glance towards him to acknowledge his presence.

“It’s a very nice song,” Ivan said, his voice almost seeming too loud, too piercing in the calm atmosphere.

“Everyone else here says it’s too sad,” Alfred laughed slightly. His fingers fluttered on the keys, pressing some of them lighter, some harsher. It was like he was a part of the piano.

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful,” Ivan shook his head.

“A while ago,” Alfred muttered, “a really long time ago, I felt like I fell in love. She was a very sweet woman, very pretty and incredibly smart.” His fingers didn’t leave the keys once. “She didn’t even mind that I was sick. She said she loved me. I died on my wedding night, before I even had a chance to say my vows. No one could take it. My family had me buried far away, out of sight and out of mind because they didn’t want to cry anymore. They moved away. And my fiancé…well, she got married to someone else and moved away, too. I’ve been buried there, alone, for so long…I dunno. I guess I’ve forgotten what love feels like.”

The music filled the silence. He didn’t even have papers in front of him, playing what just felt right… Ivan watched Alfred’s face, which seemed to hold this intense sadness…but at the same time….it looked like he didn’t have any tears left to shed.

“I normally don’t even leave the house,” Ivan sighed, watching in apt interest as Alfred played. “Everyone thinks I’m some kind of…recluse, some don’t even think I’m exist, that I’m just some lie my family tells. Normally…I can’t even talk to someone other than my sisters. I have this…terrible stutter sometimes, when I’m nervous. Which is normally around anyone I don’t know. So I never talk to anyone. I’ve said maybe…five words to my fiancé? They weren’t even very friendly. I can understand loneliness.”

“How long have you known her?” Alfred asked hesitantly.

“Maybe an hour,” Ivan sighed, leaning forward. Alfred moved to a major key, playing a lighter tune. Ivan shook his head, smiling slightly. Of course hearing that would make him happier. The song changed, to something that chimed, filled the air with a happiness that still slightly echoed with loneliness, if one listened close enough.

“Longer than you’ve known me,” Alfred shrugged. “You’ve said a lot more than five words to me. I don’t think I’ve really heard you stutter, either.”

“I don’t understand, either,” Ivan shrugged. He smiled, shaking his head slightly. “I guess you’re different.” Alfred still didn’t turn around. “I need…” Ivan ran a hand through his hair, “I need to get back.”

“Why?” Alfred asked, continuing his happy, peppy tune. Not a single person joined them yet. They were left completely alone.

“My family is poor,” Ivan said slowly. “We need to marry into money to save ourselves. My elder sister doesn’t want to marry and my younger sister isn’t of age. Even when she becomes of age, she doesn’t want to marry, either. The only way they can get away with that is if I marry. I have to do it. For them.”

Alfred hummed, the tune getting even brighter and lighter. Ivan couldn’t stop the smile on his face as Alfred continued to play. It made him think of happier times, like when he was a kid and it wasn’t weird that he was shy around strangers, when he was just quirky when he preferred to read over going outside with the other kids.

“You’re very good,” Ivan nodded.

A few minor notes trickled into the piece. Ivan continued to watch his hands, which never hesitated in thought for what he would play next. He just knew what he would play, making it up with ease as he went along.

“I just want to try,” Alfred said and licked his lips. “Just…try? I know it’s…kinda weird. But…I’ve been alone for so long. Everyone has family that visits them sometimes. I don’t. And I know no one’s coming. At least not until they die, too.”

“So you’re going to keep me here against my own free will?” Ivan asked hesitantly. “I wouldn’t call that love, that’s Stockholm syndrome.”

“And is your future marriage love?” Alfred asked. The twinkle of the keys slowed down, a very soothing pace. Ivan nodded his head to the rhythm, slow as it was.

“If it’s for my sisters, I don’t care if it’s love or not,” Ivan shook his head. Alfred bit his lip and the song slowed even more, until just a few chords echoed through the room. It ended with a satisfying chord at the end. Alfred put his hands on his lap when he was finished, looking at the ivory keys in interest.

“Personally,” Alfred said, “I think marriage is important. Like a symbol of love or something, you know? I don’t think it’s something that can be arranged.”

“And you think it can happen on accident?” Ivan asked.

“I believe in happy accidents?” Alfred looked back with a small grin. “Why can’t this be one of them?”

Ivan sighed. When he opened his mouth to say something, there was a loud cheer outside. Ivan glanced to the old, grimy window, but he couldn’t really see through it. Alfred, meanwhile, had grown the biggest grin on his face.

“Come on,” he laughed slightly, lightly holding onto Ivan’s wrist and all but running out of the little bar with Ivan in tow. Outside, Ivan blinked in surprise. The cheering continued and Ivan watched as everyone around them, no matter their state of decay, started dancing with each other. Ivan could faintly hear the music, like it was coming out of an old gramophone. It was fast paced and…happy. Perfect dancing music.

Alfred stood in front of him, a giddy smile on his face. He intended to dance, didn’t he?

“No,” Ivan shook his head. “No…I don’t dance.”

“And what did you expect to do during your wedding day celebrations?” Alfred asked, laughing slightly. He entwined his fingers with Ivan’s, facing him. He gave an encouraging smile before he started moving in time with the beat. Ivan rolled his eyes, but swayed, at least slightly, to the beat with him. “Is that really all you’ve got?” Alfred teased.

“Are you trying to challenge me?” Ivan asked curiously.

“Are you up to it?” Alfred smirked.

For once, Ivan didn’t quite mind Alfred’s bone hand. He stopped just swaying and began moving his feet with Alfred’s, both of them moving perfectly in time to the music. He hadn’t even noticed when they’d moved further into the street, surrounded by others around them. Alfred started moving faster, his music instincts still keeping him on beat. He looked at Ivan like he almost didn’t expect him to keep up.

But Ivan did. Easily. Alfred seemed to get a bit cocky after a while and moved Ivan into a spin.

“I think you’re a bit small to do that,” Ivan said smugly, ducking under Alfred’s arm.

“Well, you weren’t about to do it anytime soon,” Alfred said proudly. “I figured someone should take the lead.”

“Are you calling me a coward?” Ivan asked.

“Are you brave enough to prove me wrong?” Alfred smirked. Ivan narrowed his eyes at him before picking up their pace just slightly. He didn’t dance often, but he did have more than enough practice with both of his sisters. He easily led Alfred through the sea of people, spinning him a few times and ultimately bringing them to a stop as the music wound down. Ivan panted for breath and Alfred looked at him for a short while before he let out a small laugh.

“For someone that doesn’t dance, you’re a hell of a dancer,” Alfred smiled.

“I practice,” Ivan nodded, taking a step back. Due to the crowd’s cheering around them, another song started, but Alfred seemed more than pleased with just their dance. He was ridiculous, wasn’t he?

“I knew I could get you to loosen up, big guy,” Alfred smiled, patting Ivan’s arm before stepping back. “This can’t be that bad of an idea, is it?”

“I will consider it,” Ivan said and Alfred beamed.

“All I ask,” Alfred nodded.

“My name is Ivan, by the way,” Ivan said, realizing Alfred didn’t even know his name yet.

“Ivan,” Alfred echoed, his voice wrapping around the foreign word to him quite…perfectly. “I like it.”

Everyone in the crowd clapped at once and a girl raced up to Alfred, dragging him back into the crowd of dancers. Soon enough, another came up to Ivan, bringing him back into the crowd. He learned the moves to this dance rather easily, managing to clap in time after about three attempts.

* * *

“See, the problem here is that you didn’t get a bachelor’s party,” Antonio chimed before taking a long drink of his…whatever it was. It smelled like beer. Alfred had managed to run into this three friends in the impromptu festival outside and had proceeded to drag him and Alfred to another bar, where Ivan was able to be fully introduced to the three. Was that what most dead people did, get drunk and dance?

“Neither of you, if I’m not mistaken,” Francis mused, swishing his wine.

“Are you offering to give me one?” Ivan asked.

“Kinda pointless after being married, don’t you think?” Alfred shrugged.

“I don’t see the point in one anyway,” Ivan scoffed.

“Are you kidding?” Gilbert barked, drinking more of his own beer before speaking again. “Being surrounded by chicks and beer and talking shit with your closest friends? Nothing better.”

“I thought you said you were a priest,” Ivan shook his head.

“Never said I was a good one,” Gilbert laughed. Francis and Antonio laughed with him. Ivan rolled his eyes. He glanced at Alfred, who shrugged with a small smile. He had beer as well, though Ivan had opted out of alcohol. He didn’t really trust any kind of food or drink in the Land of the Dead.

“I see you two have calmed down,” Arthur snorted from behind them. Ivan looked back and nodded to him. He certainly hadn’t forgotten Arthur’s warning, which made a lot more sense now that Ivan knew his story.

“Shit it’s Arthur, someone hide the alcohol,” Antonio snickered. Arthur didn’t hesitate to hit him upside the head.

“Careful,” Gilbert snorted. “It might fall off.”

“Do you some good,” Arthur scoffed. He looked to Alfred and Ivan. “Have you two figured out your differences?”

“Sort of,” Alfred shrugged, smiling at Ivan, who simply nodded back.

“I think a bachelor party for you two would be a wonderful idea,” Francis smirked. “The only problem would be finding friends for tall, dark, and mysterious.”

“There is a reason I didn’t even have one up there,” Ivan rolled his eyes. He felt his stomach rumble slightly from hunger, but he chose to ignore it. He wasn’t quite sure if he could or should eat anything in this world.

“I’m all for a party, but I don’t think I need a bachelor’s party,” Alfred shrugged. “What about a proper wedding celebration? With dancing and shit?”

“Very romantic,” Ivan scoffed and Alfred elbowed him in the side. “Don’t you already have dancing and music every day? What makes this much different?”

“Because this party’s got a special goal,” Antonio chimed.

“You should see what actual weddings look like down here,” Gilbert smirked. “Sure, we’ve got parties for no reason, but when we have a reason?”

“Those are the best,” Francis sighed nostalgically.

“Are weddings often down here?” Ivan asked.

“What do you think the chance is that you’ll actually find someone you love in the short time you’re alive?” Arthur asked. “You have a lot more time down here to fall in love.”

“And you’re not restricted by stupid things like money or sleep or distance or anything,” Antonio sighed. “I’m still waiting to find the perfect person to come by.”

“Might as well keep waiting,” Gilbert laughed. Antonio punched him in the shoulder.

“I think it’s sweet how many people are willing to wait for the one they love,” Francis mused. “I thought Alfred was pretty brave where he was.”

“Hopefully patience will pay off,” Alfred shrugged, taking a long drink. Ivan hoped so as well. He just wondered if he would get a chance to see his sisters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do love the piano music throughout Corpse Bride so I had to stick something in there with music. And we got most of the tragic backstory stuff out of the way. I’m doing some of the stuff in the original plot out of order just because that’s how things are turning out. What else will I change in the process? Who knows! Certainly not me.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, I’ll see y’all next time!


	4. Chapter 4

“Don’t you miss the stars?” Ivan chanced to ask, walking beside Alfred along the streets. He figured he should bring up the Land of the Living, again, on the off chance that Alfred might decide to bring him back. It had been a few hours now. Alfred loved to talk and get to know people, especially when he was married to him. Not only did he not seem to mind divulging almost every aspect of his life, but he wanted to know everything about Ivan. Ivan, meanwhile, liked his privacy. Especially regarding people he’s just met. This also worked as a way to get the topic of the conversation away from his childhood, which Alfred seemed completely interested in.

They both looked up, where the sky normally was. But it was just blackness…

“I mean sometimes,” Alfred shrugged. “I liked the stars alright when I was alive…I mean, I like those tiny details in your suit well enough.”

“Thank you,” Ivan nodded. “My sister made it.”

“Do you miss the stars?” Alfred asked, apparently knowing well enough by now to avoid the subject of his sisters. Whenever Ivan’s sisters came into the conversation, Ivan always managed to find a way to ask to go back up. He was getting smarter, Ivan had to admit.

“Yes,” Ivan answered honestly. “I like the stars quite a lot.”

“Sorry,” Alfred shrugged sheepishly. “Can’t really do a lot about that…But we have a lot of other cool stuff to do! I’ve always liked checking out the flower patches. They're dead…naturally, but they’re still pretty to look at. And they’re so delicate, too. I’m really fond of ‘em.”

“Maybe you could show me,” Ivan offered. It was better than walking around aimlessly for who knew how long. He was getting pretty tired and hungry by now. It had been a few hours now…

“You wanna go?” Alfred asked with wide eyes and a bright smile. Ivan rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

“You shouldn’t act so surprised every time I agree to do something with you,” Ivan laughed slightly.

“Yeah, well, you haven’t been very agreeable most of the time,” Alfred laughed. “But, if you really wanna go,” Alfred’s smile only grew as he held onto Ivan’s hand tightly and started leading him with purpose through the crowd. He was like an excited child.

Eventually, they finally made it out of the seemingly massive town and Ivan smiled faintly at the sight in front of him. As far as he could see, there were rows of flowers in this…field. Despite being dead and wilted, they held so much more color that Ivan had ever seen. It nearly made the entire world he’d known seem…gray. There was purple, blue, red, pink, yellow, orange…They were beautiful. Ivan had never seen flowers like these in his life.

“Some of the guys here think it’s lame to look at flowers,” Alfred shrugged sheepishly, letting go of Ivan’s hand. “But I really like them.”

“How is everything here so colorful?” Ivan asked. “They’re dead. Everything here is…dead.”

“Takes everyone off guard,” Alfred smiled. “The Land of the Living has colors, sure, but they’re nothing compared to this. Compared to here, it’s like everything is black and white. There are colors here you don’t even see in the Land of the Living. I think it’s pretty cool.”

“Very,” Ivan nodded, walking through one of the many pathways that stretched through the flower patch. “Who…who put this together? Who does this?”

“No idea,” Alfred shrugged. “I mean, who’s to say if, when flowers die, they don’t come here? Animals and people come down here, too.”

Ivan paused slightly as he passed a large group of roses on his right and lilies on his left. There were sunflowers… Wilted and with small, fragile pedals and leaves, but the color was…beautiful. So much more vibrant than any of the sunflowers Ivan had seen in the Land of the Living.

“You like sunflowers?” Alfred asked curiously.

“I’ve always liked them,” Ivan nodded faintly. They stood tall and proud over the rest of the flowers around them, attempting to find the non-existent sun. “I think they’re pretty brave.”

“Yeah?” Alfred asked as Ivan saw a small grasshopper among the dead grass, hopping along happily. There were others, more insects as well. “I like the roses, I think. It’s cool to see just how many colors they have and they only look better dead, in my opinion…”

“Do you miss the flowers being alive?” Ivan asked, tracing his thumb over the dead leaves of the sunflower in front of him.

“You get used to it eventually,” Alfred shrugged. “Everything being dead. Something being alive is the weird part.”

“Am I really that strange to you?” Ivan smirked. “Or do you just like me because I’m different, interesting?”

“I’ll admit, that’s a factor,” Alfred laughed. “And your looks aren’t that bad either. But it’s not just those factors that make me interested.”

“Do tell me what makes you so interested,” Ivan said.

“Well,” Alfred straightened his suit, his bone hand clicking awkwardly. Though Ivan had found that he was quickly getting used to the oddities of this world. “First there’s the way you said the vows, which was…awesome. There’s the fact that you get used to new situations really easily. I mean, not a lot of people would really be okay with seeing all of this and just going along. I know I wouldn’t. It took me a while after I died to get used to it…”

“What, exactly, do you expect me to do?” Ivan snorted. “If I stayed cowering in a corner, I wouldn’t be able to get anything done. Besides, I don’t get scared easily.”

“And you can keep up with me,” Alfred smiled. “The banter and teasing. Sure, Gilbert’s got a smart mouth and Francis knows how to flirt, but that doesn’t mean much. Not a lot of people would take me spinning them as a challenge. Even when I’m dead, I’m a pretty strong guy. You only really get stronger after you die. But you can keep up. Not a lot of people really can. I like that about you.”

“I’m glad I make for a suitable partner for you,” Ivan rolled his eyes.

“And me?” Alfred asked curiously. “Do I make for a good partner for you?”

“I haven’t really decided yet,” Ivan shook his head. “We’ve known each other for a few hours.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get ya,” Alfred sighed heavily, putting his hands in front of his chest in surrender. “Strangers and weird shit.”

Ivan continued walking in front of Alfred, through the patches of different flowers that had died and wound up here. Ivan even watched as a flower sprouted through an empty space in the dirt, opening its bright purple petals to the blank sky.

“You really want to go back, huh?” Alfred asked quietly. Ivan looked back at him in surprise, a questioning look on his face. Alfred was slumped, looking at the flowers and not at Ivan. “It makes sense. It’s where you belong. Where things are alive…”

“And are you thinking of bringing me back?” Ivan asked curiously.

Alfred glanced up at him, seemingly afraid to catch his eye. He winced.

“I mean, as your husband, it’s my duty to make you happy, right?” Alfred shrugged, looking at his feet now. “And you’d be happy if you went up…right? At least for a little bit, I guess…”

“Wow, you certainly are flexible in your beliefs,” Ivan rolled his eyes. But the idea of going back to the surface, to see his sisters again…To maybe find a way out of this mess without causing too many issues… “Are you serious about this?”

“I-I mean…” Alfred worried his bottom lip. “Just for a few minutes is…fine…I guess.”

“How do you get back?” Ivan asked. “To the Land of the Living? Everyone else seems confused by the idea.”

“They just haven’t explored enough,” Alfred shrugged. He started walking past Ivan, further into the flowers. Ivan raised an eyebrow but followed Alfred nonetheless. They walked for a short while through the fields of flowers until they reached what looked like a forest, filled with dead trees black as coals. The colors of the flowers vanished as they continued into the shadow and lack of light allowed by the trees around them. It was like they were moving into a world of monochrome.

“Okay, so,” Alfred glanced back at Ivan as they continued walking. “A few rules here for how this works. Coming to the Land of the Dead is easy, there’s no rules except you can’t go back to the Land of the Living. Going the other way is trickier, it’s not…natural. We can’t stay for long before getting dragged back. Maybe an hour max. And there’s only…a certain amount of times you can do it before you can’t go back up anymore. I don’t know how many it is, but I’ve talked to someone else who’s found it. He won’t tell me.”

“It works even if you’re alive?” Ivan asked curiously. The trees were starting to gain leaves, dull oranges, yellows, and reds.

“Rules still apply for whoever’s coming up,” Alfred muttered.

“So that means…” Ivan mused. “When you dragged me down here, you knew I couldn’t go back.”

“I mean…” Alfred shrugged.

“Alfred,” Ivan snapped and placed a rough hand on Alfred’s shoulder, forcing him to stop where he was. Alfred was hesitant to turn around and look Ivan in the eye. “You brought me down here knowing I couldn’t go back?”

“How else were we supposed to see each other?” Alfred gave an exasperated groan. “If we’re supposed to be married, I mean, it wouldn’t do if I could only occasionally visit. How the hell were we supposed to get to know each other if, when I come up, I don't know if it’ll be my last time or not? And if I’ve only got an hour?”

“So you dragged me here without my own permission?” Ivan asked coldly. “Because you wanted to get to know me?”

“I thought we got over this,” Alfred grumbled. “I know I fucked up, okay? But you said your vows to what you thought was a tree root, which in itself is kinda offensive, okay?”

“That does not make up for what you did,” Ivan insisted. “You are telling me that I have a limited number of times I can even go up and see my own sisters?”

“Well now you know how I feel,” Alfred shrugged.

“I am not dead yet!” Ivan snapped. “I don’t have to deal with everything you do quite yet. I still have a life to live!”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Alfred groaned. “What do you want me to do about it now?”

“How many times can I go back up?” Ivan asked tentatively.

“I don’t know,” Alfred muttered. “Arthur won’t tell me.” So it was Arthur that had gone to the surface multiple times? Enough to at least know how many times were too many… “Are you gonna stay mad at me or are you going to go back to the Land of the Living like you’ve wanted to?”

Ivan clicked his jaw shut and let go of Alfred, continuing to walk on his own, ahead of him. Ivan had no idea where he was going, but he was mad. Alfred had decided for him to bring him down and now Ivan had no real escape? All because he made one stupid mistake!

Ivan grumbled to himself as he continued through the trees, watched as they gained leaves, some of them scattered on the ground. Eventually, hardly noticing where he was going, Ivan walked out of the forest. He saw a familiar, little town, the colors of the roofs dull and boring. The people with dead eyes walked around with hardly a proper care in the world. Ivan could clearly see his own house from there. He breathed out a small sigh of relief. He was home…

But not for long…

He walked quickly through the brisk atmosphere around him, his breath puffing in his face. It was dark, so it must have been late at night. He hoped that his family had decided to go back home after he had disappeared. There was no telling how long it had actually been up here compared to the time that passed in the Land of the Dead.

He rubbed his arms from the cold. He hadn’t realized how much warmer the Land of the Dead was.

He walked up to his house, stopping himself as he raised his hand to knock on the door. As much as he wanted to see his sisters…his parents might be more than pissed at him with his behavior, what with disappearing…

He decided to walk around to the back door. If it was this late, hopefully his parents would be in bed and he wouldn’t have to see them. The door creaked slightly as he pushed it opened and he winced, but no one was around to see him. The door let into the kitchen, which was as spotless as ever. He bit his lip as he continued forward into the house, slowly making his way to the stairs. They creaked, quite a lot.

He slowly and carefully stepped up each one. He winced when he realized how much time he was wasting. Alfred had said he had maybe an hour.

Once he made it to the top of the stairs, he went to Katyusha’s room first, but when he opened the door, it was empty. He frowned. Please let them actually be there. He’d wasted too much time looking around. He was quick to walk over to his younger sister’s room, happy to hear the sound of their voices as he walked closer, a light of a candle flashing under the crack of the door.

“I should go look for him,” Natalia pressed.

“No, let him…think this through,” Katyusha said hesitantly. Ivan paused for a moment.

“He’s been gone for too long for this to be just thinking something through,” Natalia snapped. “Something must have happened to him and I want to go looking for him.”

“I’m sure he’s fine on his own,” Katyusha pressed.

Ivan let out a small breath before he pushed the door open. His sisters immediately snapped their heads towards him and he offered a weak smile. Really, he looked like hell so it didn’t mean very much, but it was just a thought.

“Brother,” Natalia was the first to pull him into a hug and Ivan smiled softly, hugging her right back. “Where have you been?”

“What have you been doing?” Katyusha asked, walking forward as well. Ivan closed the door silently behind him, hoping that his parents couldn’t hear them.

“I don’t have much time,” Ivan apologized immediately. “I can’t offer very much for you about what’s been going on.”

“Where did you go?” Natalia asked as Katyusha started fussing over all of Ivan’s scratches and tears.

“You’re so cold,” Katyusha tutted. “I’ll be right back,” she left the room in a hurry, coming back just a second later with Ivan’s scarf. Ivan took it gratefully, wrapping the scarf around his neck. It was warm… He smiled.

“Brother, where did you go?” Natalia pressed. Ivan closed the door again.

“I’ve found myself in a very strange situation,” Ivan muttered, hiding his face into his scarf. “It’s a…long story. I…I went to the forest to level my head and…I’ve found myself…married.”

“You did what?” Katyusha asked, her mouth agape. Natalia looked a mix between confused and absolutely furious.

“It was completely on accident,” Ivan swore. “I don’t even know him.”

“Him?” Natalia asked.

“Let’s sit you down, you’ve had quite a day, haven’t you?” Katyusha gently guided him to the couch in her room and sat him down. She seemed intent on making sure he stayed warm, leaning close to share body heat. Natalia mirrored her on his other side.

“Him?” Natalia repeated herself.

“I’ve married a corpse,” Ivan blurted out and his sisters shared the same confused look. “I was practicing my vows and I…accidentally married a corpse. I don’t know how or why. But he’s not about to let me leave.”

“You can’t marry the dead, they’re not alive,” Natalia said bluntly.

“My thoughts exactly,” Ivan nodded slowly. “He…they…it’s like another world…”

“You’re not making any sense,” Katyusha shook her head.

“I know,” Ivan sighed, shaking his head. “I know I’m not. But it doesn’t make any sense no matter how you look at it.”

“So you’re married to a corpse?” Natalia asked bluntly. “Even if we can go past that…impossible fact, how can you be married accidentally?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Ivan shook his head. “What does matter is that I’m afraid I won’t be able to see either of you for quite some time. I don’t know how long.”

“What are you talking about?” Katyusha asked.

“It’s…complicated,” Ivan muttered. “Very complicated. But I’m in a situation where I can’t get out. So I might as well spend this time to apologize to you. I won’t be able to marry for our family.”

“Well…Ivan,” Katyusha pressed. “Do you care about this…corpse?”

“I don’t know!” Ivan shook his head. “I’ve known him for only a few hours.”

“Why is he keeping you from us?” Natalia pressed. “He’s only known you for a few hours, too. How could he possibly know if he can keep you from us? Just stay here!”

“That’s…impossible,” Ivan muttered.

“I don’t care if you can’t get married to that bitch,” Natalia swore. “I just want you here. If I even have to get married to someone other than you, I don’t care. Just stay, brother.”

“I can’t,” Ivan stared at the ground. “I just…wanted to apologize. And to see you again. I’ll try to visit when I can.”

“No, don’t leave,” Natalia pressed.

“Can’t you try to explain things a little more?” Katyusha asked.

“I don’t even know how long I’ve been here,” Ivan shook his head. “It must have been about an hour by now. I can’t…”

“Stay,” Natalia hugged his arm even tighter, leaning closer to him. “Brother, you need to calm down and tell us what’s going on. Just take a few deep breaths, it’s going to be okay.” She leaned forward to press a small kiss onto Ivan’s cheek, meant to be comforting. Ivan smiled faintly as Katyusha mirrored her.

“Please tell me this is the right place or this is gonna be awkward,” Alfred’s voice muttered as the door opened. Ivan blinked in surprise. How the hell did Alfred manage to actually find him? And yet…There he stood, in the doorway. He had a few bags slung over his shoulder as he stared, wide-eyed at first. Then he narrowed his eyes, almost suspiciously. “Ivan?”

“Is this him?” Natalia asked, staring in awe. No doubt, she didn’t believe Ivan at first. But now? With a corpse standing in front of her knowing Ivan’s name? Wearing the ring on his bone hand? The truth had to be accepted.

“Who the fuck are they?” Alfred asked coldly.

“Alfred,” Ivan stood up from between his sisters. What had him so angry? If anything, Ivan should be the one still angry about this entire situation.

“Time’s up,” Alfred said briskly and Ivan felt a cold wind brush past him, quickly changing to a warm, slow wind. He blinked and he stood in a bar, bright brown wood and loud laughter surrounding him. Alfred glared at him, breathing deeply. He dumped the bags on the floor before storming out of the bar. Ivan blinked, staring at the bags before looking where Alfred had ran off to.

Ivan knelt down to the bags, opening one of them. Inside, there were…fruits, vegetables, bread. Ivan opened the other bag, discovering bottles of water. Ivan blinked. Alfred had decided to go to the Land of the Living to get Ivan food and water, not from the Land of the Dead. Ivan sighed, shaking his head.

But why was he angry?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sure y’all can guess why he’s angry. Don’t worry, no real drama will come from this. This chapter was just getting too long for me to continue with what happens next. On the bright side, their actual romance is getting started slowly. You can kinda see it, if you look closely. Oh well, more next time with more actually couply moments, I swear.
> 
> ‘Till then!


	5. Chapter 5

Ivan adjusted the bags on his shoulder as he looked into every window he passed. Alfred didn’t get mad, at least as long as Ivan had known him. He even tried to keep an ear out for some piano music. But there were a lot of people and a lot of shops. Ivan sighed heavily, taking out an apple from the bag. It wouldn’t hurt to eat something while he was hungry and searching. As he took a bite, he finally heard the sound of a piano.

He followed it, finishing the apple and starting another one shortly after. They were rather good…or maybe he was just really hungry. He yawned as well, feeling the full effects of his drowsiness now that some excitement had died down. He hummed along with the now familiar tune of Alfred’s playing as he looked into the windows of the stores he passed by. No one paid attention to the sad sound of the music. But there was something to the sound, a small tinge. Alfred was pressing the keys harder than he did before.

Ivan finally found a store where he could see the piano and Alfred sitting at it. He sighed, finishing an apple and shoving the core into the bag. He walked into the empty store, placing the bags onto a table as he walked over to Alfred. As before, he dragged a chair over and sat to Alfred’s left, just behind him. Alfred was pressing the keys even harder now. It was messing up his playing.

“Anger doesn’t really suit you,” Ivan said.

“Kay,” Alfred said simply.

“You’re messing up your song,” Ivan offered while Alfred fumbled with some of the notes. He looked even angrier at that thought.

“So what?” Alfred asked sharply.

“Why are you so angry?” Ivan asked. Alfred pressed his hands down on the keys. Hard. It didn’t make a good sound. Ivan jumped slightly from it.

“Why?” Alfred snapped, looking over at Ivan. “Why?”

“I believe it’s a valid question,” Ivan blinked.

“Because,” Alfred took a deep breath, “when I go through all of the effort to bring you back to the Land of the Living, and even get you food and water because I…because I noticed that…you were hungry and tired. And then I go back to try to find you and you’re with two…two…that’s called cheating you know! Even if you don’t like the idea of us being together, it’s still cheating!”

“Cheating?” Ivan asked curiously. “Wait…do you think-”

“Yeah, well, you could have chosen better looking ones,” Alfred shrugged angrily, looking past Ivan and looking at the window. “I just…you go up there and you waste your time like that?”

Ivan couldn’t help it. He started laughing. Alfred really thought…Oh, that was rich.

Ivan held onto his stomach, he was laughing so hard, leaning over himself. He could faintly feel tears in his eyes, he was laughing so much. He could barely bring himself to breathe.

“What?” Alfred asked dumbly.

“Th-those were my sisters!” Ivan blurted, his sides beginning to hurt as he held onto them.

“Your…” Alfred blinked. Ivan nodded.

“Alfred, if I had known you could get jealous so easily, I would have told you what they look like,” Ivan said through his laughter. “Oh, God, Alfred.”

Alfred just stared at him as Ivan’s laughter grew. Ivan wiped a tear from his eye as the fits calmed down slightly. He looked back at Alfred, who was smiling faintly.

“I’ve never even seen you smile before,” Alfred smiled. Ivan blinked, but he couldn’t find it in him to drop his smile. “I’m sorry. I guess I should have asked. I didn’t mean it when I said they weren’t pretty. They really are, that was why I was jealous.”

“I’m sure they would accept your compliment,” Ivan chuckled, patting his shoulder. “Is that all you were mad about?”

“I feel stupid,” Alfred muttered. Ivan was sure, if Alfred could blush, he would be. “It’s just…they were kissing you and one had those big boobs and-”

Ivan held back a little more laughter. “Alfred. You don’t have to explain yourself. A lot of men have thought that my sisters were pretty. But say anything else about them and their features and I may have to kill you.” Ivan ignored the irony of his own statement, as did Alfred.

Alfred let out a small laugh. “Okay, sorry. I can see the similarities, I guess, between you guys. N-Not to say that you’re pretty. You’re handsome and not like a girl at all and I sound like an idiot don’t I?”

“No,” Ivan laughed. “It’s quite a compliment, if you can sort through all of those words.”

“My brother always told me I need to know when to shut up,” Alfred smiled shyly.

“I think you talk just the right amount,” Ivan nodded encouragingly. “Thank you for the food and water, by the way. I didn’t think that was why you wanted to go up.”

“Are you still mad?” Alfred asked sheepishly. “About dragging you down here like that?”

Ivan let out a sigh. “A bit.” He looked over at the bags of food and water and smiled faintly. “There’s nothing either of us can do about it now, is there?”

“I think, if you asked Arthur, considering the situation, he might tell you how many times you can go through,” Alfred offered. “Before you can’t go anymore.”

“I’m fine,” Ivan nodded. “I got to see them again. Maybe, I should go again in the future and try to sort this out…but I’m not sure. If I were to go and see them again, I might miss them too much.”

“I get ya,” Alfred smiled faintly. “My family moved away before I could figure out how to go up. I don’t know what I would have done if it were easier to go and see them. I know I’d make a bunch of stupid mistakes.”

“You?” Ivan asked, yawning as he spoke. “Stupid mistakes? Never.”

“Don’t be mean,” Alfred elbowed him. Ivan laughed slightly. “Do you want to sleep? I mean, you can. It might be a little loud, but we might be able to find a place…”

“That would be…quite nice,” Ivan nodded, smiling faintly.

“Great,” Alfred nodded before getting up. He looked at the stairs near the back of the store that Ivan had only just noticed. “We can try here first, I guess.” Ivan nodded, following the man up the stairs. “Beds are kinda hard to find around here, since no one really needs it, but we might be able to find something…”

“You don’t really have to go so far out of your way,” Ivan chuckled as they reached the top of the stairs.

“You’re my husband, right?” Alfred smiled back at him. “I need to care for you as best I can.”

“Maybe one day you’ll let me return the favor,” Ivan mused.

“Maybe,” Alfred smirked. As they explored upstairs, they went through a few rooms, though most of them just had scattered chairs and beer mugs or bottles. The floors creaked underneath them but Ivan didn’t quite mind. The structure was sound enough.

“Hey, look at that,” Alfred smirked as he creaked open what seemed like the last door this building had to offer. Ivan peered inside behind him and smiled slightly. It was a very old, dusty bed, but it still held more color that Ivan had ever seen in the Land of the Living. It wouldn’t be the best sleep, but Ivan was tired. It had been a very long day.

“Thanks,” Ivan said simply. “You don’t have to stay.” It was obvious Alfred intended to, walking towards a chair.

“But…” Alfred muttered.

“You watching me sleep is not something a husband would do,” Ivan said. “And I have no intention of sleeping with a corpse right now.”

“Okay,” Alfred shuffled his feet. “But I’ll be around. For when you wake up, okay?”

“Fine, if you must,” Ivan nodded his head. Alfred nodded as well and left out the door, closing it soundly behind him. Ivan chuckled slightly, shaking his head. Alfred was a bumbling idiot, wasn’t he? But he was sweet…

Ivan had barely sat down on the bed, the dust puffing around him, when he heard the sound of Alfred’s piano. It was his soft, lilting song, the sad song filled with longing.

Ivan was asleep to it in a matter of minutes.

* * *

When Ivan woke up, it was quiet. Not silent, he could hear some faint voices from downstairs, but it was quiet and calm. He smiled faintly. He liked the calm and the peaceful quite a lot. It took him a moment to register where he was or why when he opened his eyes. The room was unfamiliar, dust crowding nearly every corner. Hell, he didn’t even have blankets, but he was comfortable, warm.

He remembered the accident in the forest and couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the thought. He was confused for a moment. He…smiled thinking about Alfred and this whole mess he’d gotten himself into? Strange…

Ivan sighed as he stood up. Well, he was hungry and a bit thirsty so he could go find Alfred. That would be just fine, now wouldn’t it? Ivan walked slowly and carefully, not sure what time it was. Then again, no one in this world really slept, did they?

As Ivan started walking down the stairs, he heard Alfred’s voice. He couldn’t stop another smile, bracing himself for just what else Alfred could come up for something for them to do for more bonding.

“-but that really shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” Ivan paused. Alfred sounded…concerned, scared. He’d never heard his voice like that. Against his better judgement, Ivan paused at the top of the stairs, away from sight.

“Yeah, well, our little gentleman had me look into some things,” Gilbert’s voice scoffed.

“Don’t blame me for this,” Arthur’s voice snapped. Ivan narrowed his eyes, what were they talking about? “I was simply looking into it for your husband’s sake.”

“Well, not quite husband,” Gilbert sighed.

“But what the hell does it matter?” Alfred asked. “I mean, he’s alive, I’m dead, so what? The whole marriage thing should be finalized, right?”

“Thing is,” Gilbert sighed heavily, “it’s…uh…the vows.”

“What about them?” Alfred asked.

“They’re only good until death do you part,” Gilbert said.

“And death has already parted you,” Arthur sighed. Ivan opened his eyes wide. He hadn’t thought about that…So did that mean…they weren’t really married?

“Why’d you look into this?” Alfred asked, his voice small, trembling slightly. “Why’d you ask about this, Arthur? What the hell is so bad about me being happy for once?!”

“At the expense of this poor man’s sanity?” Arthur asked.

“Well…great!” Alfred all but shouted. He was apparently hoping Ivan was still asleep. “Okay, so you take his side, first, and then decide to just go and look up ways to separate us? I mean…damn you should have thought of that before I dragged him here? Now what will he say? What’ll he think? I just…”

“You were the one that went ahead and did this without thinking this through!” Arthur scoffed.

“Listen,” Gilbert snapped. “There’s a way to fix this, it’s just…complicated. You’ve gotta go back up to the Land of the Living, and repeat the vows.”

“Okay…” Alfred said slowly. “Where’s the complicated part?”

“He’ll need to drink a poison,” Arthur said and Ivan felt his breath leave him. What? He would have to… “One that will keep him dead, no chance of a revival.”

“No,” Alfred muttered. “I couldn’t…he’s still…I’d never ask him to do that for me.”

Ivan stopped listening, stumbling back to a chair in a nearby room, his hands trembling. So he wasn’t really married to Alfred after all…but…regardless, he was still stuck here. Forever, if he wasn’t wrong. Unless there was some magical way to get back to the surface from here…

Then again…

Ivan thought back to the Land of the Living when he visited his sisters. It was gray, it was dull, and he could practically feel the sadness. In this world, everyone was happy, no one stopped moving for longer than a few minutes. No one was afraid to let their full personalities be known at the risk of not being accepted. And Alfred…his excitement and joy seemed to be almost contagious. He knew so much pain, but was able to build off of it, not ignore it, and make himself even happier.

Ivan stared at his hands until they stopped shaking. He couldn’t make a decision on this now…He had too much to think about now to decide on anything. He could just…pretend he hadn’t heard anything about any of this.

He stood up and made purposeful steps back to the stairs, not listening to the current conversation and making plenty of noise coming down the steps so they would know he was coming.

“Y-You’re awake,” Alfred said shakily, standing with Arthur and Gilbert in the middle of the room. Ivan faked a rather convincing yawn. Ivan nodded to him, walking straight to the bag holding food. He really was hungry…

“I’ll…leave you to think on it,” Gilbert sighed, quickly shutting a pretty large book before he swiftly headed out the door.

“Think about what?” Ivan asked off-handedly, taking a bite of an apple. It tasted amazing, to be honest, but maybe that was just the hunger talking.

“Nothing,” Alfred muttered and Ivan noticed Arthur send him a decisive glare. Ivan just hummed. He would leave it at that. Until he could figure something out, figure out his own decision on this matter.

“Alfred, if you wouldn’t mind, could we visit that flower field again?” Ivan asked with a small smile, turning to Alfred, whose eyes were wide in shock. He blinked once. “I just don’t think I spent enough time there to properly appreciate it.”

“Uh…yeah, sure, no problem,” Alfred nodded. “You sure you’re good? You were asleep for a while but if you need some time to wake up properly...”

“I’m fine,” Ivan nodded. “And, uh, good morning, Arthur.”

“Right,” Arthur nodded. “Good morning.” He walked briskly out of the room, leaving them in a stiff silence. Ivan tried to stay relaxed, despite Alfred’s obvious apprehensiveness. He wasn’t supposed to know about this…

“You look like you need a rest,” Ivan half-joked, finishing the apple and digging into the bag to pull out another fruit, this one an orange. Ivan smiled faintly as he set about to peeling it open. It was rather endearing how Alfred had gone out of his way to get these for him. To keep him…alive…Ivan sighed as Alfred did.

“I wish,” Alfred sighed, but he smiled. It was fake. “You wanna go ahead? We can take the food and water with us, right?”

“Of course,” Ivan nodded, hoisting the bags onto his shoulder as he took a bite of the orange. It was very sweet.

“At least let me take one,” Alfred laughed slightly, yanking the heavier bag full of water off of his shoulder. Ivan smiled faintly, following him out of the building. Ivan adjusted the bag on his shoulder as they walked. At the very least, Ivan could find the time to go to Arthur and find out more about going up to the Land of the Living.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm. What will Ivan decide to do? A little different from the original plot of The Corpse Bride, but still the same idea. But now we have something interesting going on here. Who knows what will happen next? Me, but that’s not the point.
> 
> See ya next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Ivan huffed as he walked around, looking into all of the bars he passed in hopes of finding who he was looking for. He’d managed to convince Alfred, fairly easily considering he had a lot to think about as well, that he wanted some time alone. Alfred apparently had enough faith in Ivan not to try to find some way out…Then again, he’d seemed somewhat apathetic throughout the day, not quite all there. Ivan probably wasn’t much better.

It was a big thing to think about; death and marriage.

Ivan kicked at the ground as he passed another bar that didn’t have who he was looking for. Where could he possibly be? He had a few important questions to ask him…

“Well, well, what are you doing alone?” Antonio quipped, walking quickly beside Ivan, who jumped at the sudden voice.

“I never would have thought Alfred would leave you alone,” Francis chuckled, striding on Ivan’s other side with Gilbert, who’s smirk was less pronounced than usual.

“I could use some time to look around with him always around me,” Ivan shrugged. “Would any of you happen to know where Arthur is? I’ve been meaning to ask him something.”

“What?” Gilbert asked, his hands laced behind his head. “You wanna ask about tea or some shit?”

“It’s nothing too important,” Ivan shrugged. “Just a question.”

“Hm, I’m not quite sure,” Francis mused. “He could be anywhere around this time…Though you probably won’t get anywhere looking around bars. He’s got some bad memories with alcohol or something.”

“You could try the old book place,” Antonio shrugged. “Sometimes old books turn up down here and people try to bring them to the same building. Arthur tries to see if anything good turns up every now and then.”

“Then I’ll try there,” Ivan nodded. “Thanks for your help.” Ivan started walking ahead a few paces, but he paused and looked back at the three, who had barely turned away. “And Gilbert?” Gilbert looked back to him in apt interest. “Don’t tell Alfred, but I heard what you were talking about.”

“And?” Gilbert asked simply. “You made a decision yet?”

“I have no idea,” Ivan shook his head and Gilbert nodded, walking with his friends. He easily dismissed all of their questions.

Ivan dug his hands into his pockets as he walked. Everyone there seemed to think he was some kind of spectacle to behold, staring at him as he walked by. But he ignored them. He was looking for a place with a lot of books, then? Apparently he was going the right way, otherwise the others would have corrected him.

Eventually, he passed by a store with broken windows, but he could see bookshelves filled to the brim, even with books littered on the ground in piles. Ivan sighed, stepping in through the door, which hung open. It seemed like it would have been considered creepy or scary, but the colors were so vibrant, the tattered and beat-up books bursting like rainbows. Ivan smiled faintly. He might grow to like a place like this…

Ivan didn’t have to walk very far in before he saw Arthur kneeling on the ground, rifling through a rather large book.

“Arthur,” Ivan nodded to him.

Arthur paused, but he didn’t look up. “Ivan.”

“I have a question for you,” Ivan sighed heavily, kneeling beside him and glancing through the titles of the books. Maybe there was something he’d recognize, or even a new title he’d find interesting.

“Go ahead,” Arthur nodded.

“That…passage way Alfred found to get to the Land of the Living,” Ivan said, “he said that there was a limit to the amount of times we can go up.”

“Yes,” Arthur nodded carefully.

“What’s the limit?” Ivan asked.

“Why do you want to know?” Arthur asked, his voice small and full of pain.

“I am still alive,” Ivan pressed. “That is where I belong, at the very least. My sisters are still expecting me back. How many times can I go up?”

“10,” Arthur sighed. “I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t go up 11 times…”

“Why won’t you tell Alfred?” Ivan asked. “Shouldn’t he know that?”

Arthur shook his head. “It’s better if he doesn’t know when his last time will be. That way, he only goes up if it’s truly important. At the very least…I don’t think I’ll let him go up a tenth time. He deserves to have one last time.”

“How many does he have left?” Ivan asked.

“Why?” Arthur scoffed. “So you can tell him?”

“So I can know how many times he has left,” Ivan pressed. If Alfred couldn’t even go up to marry him, if he decided to do that, then what was the point? Ivan had to make sure Alfred didn’t make any stupid decisions until he decided what to do.

“Why does it matter?” Arthur asked. “It’s not natural to go up anyway, no one should be doing it.”

“I heard you,” Ivan said, looking over at Arthur, who paused and looked at him with wide eyes. “Today. About the problem with the vows. How I need to die in order to stay married to him.”

“And what do you intend to do?” Arthur bristled. “Do you intend to kill yourself for a stranger?”

“I don’t know!” Ivan snapped. “I don’t know…but…I just need to know…if Alfred even has the chance to go up again.”

“He went up with you last time?” Arthur asked. “Then that means he has two more times until he can’t anymore. I will only allow him to go up one more time, he shouldn’t be forced to live with the pain of knowing he can’t go up again.” Ivan frowned. Two more times, then, if they can somehow convince him to let Alfred up for the last time…

“Why do you care so much about him?” Ivan asked. “How long have you even known Alfred?”

“Long enough to know that he doesn’t deserve that kind of pain,” Arthur muttered. “No one does. A lot of good the risk I made did me…Everyone I went to see is dead now but I haven’t bothered trying to find them. I left all of them without another word or indication that I couldn’t be back. I thought I could go back. At the very least, I pray that Alfred never finds his family when he goes up there again.”

“I see,” Ivan nodded and stood up. When he turned to leave, Arthur spoke again.

“You should think carefully about what you want to do,” Arthur said carefully. “He will ask you eventually. As much as I don’t want his heart to break, you need to answer him honestly. But I don’t approve of you killing yourself.”

“Regardless of whether or not you approve, I’ll do what I want,” Ivan said and walked out of the small shop.

“Is it safe?” Ivan asked curiously, peering into the pint of “beer?” he’d been given by Antonio, who was working with Francis and Gilbert to convince him to drink it. Ivan still didn’t fully trust the food or drink of this world.

“I mean, we’ve been drinking it for years,” Gilbert shrugged.

“You are dead,” Ivan said bluntly, but the three didn’t even flinch.

“Wouldn’t it be great if you could drink it, though?” Antonio smirked. “I mean, if we know you can drink it and be…fine, then we’ll know just in case another live person comes down here. Wouldn’t that be great for them to know?”

“And if it kills me?” Ivan asked, slightly amused.

“Eh, what’s the big deal?” Francis asked. “You’ll just wind up here eventually. Take a chance!”

“Are you guys seriously trying to kill my husband?” Alfred sighed heavily behind them and the trio laughed. Ivan shook his head, turning his back to the drink to see Alfred giving them all an amused look.

“Yeah, I get ya,” Gilbert stretched his arms over his head. “that’s not our job, now is it?” Alfred and Ivan both stiffened at his attempt at a joke. Gilbert just laughed it off like it was no big deal.

“Who are you to go deciding how I’m supposed to die?” Ivan asked, trying to smooth over the tension without giving away to Alfred what he knew. He still hadn’t decided what he was going to do. He just hoped Alfred didn’t intend to ask him about it anytime soon.

“We could come up with plenty of interesting ways,” Antonio snickered. “You don’t want to wind up being one of the suckers down here with a lame story. Like a heart attack? Damn, that’s so lame.”

“I didn’t know that there was a lame way to die,” Ivan snorted.

“Heart attack is tied with this loser,” Gilbert snickered, jabbing a thumb at Alfred.

“Hey!” Alfred whined. “I dealt with that illness my whole life! I thought I lasted pretty long.”

“Sure,” Francis shrugged. “You went in peace, you’re no longer in pain, is that it?”

“You say that like it’s a stupid idea,” Alfred sighed. “Hey, Ivan, you been doing okay alone?”

“I’ve been fine,” Ivan nodded. “What have you managed to do on your own?”

“You’d be amazed how many things you can do down here,” Alfred said smugly. “You can have a ton of fun here.”

“Which means he sat in that field and absently stared at flowers all day,” Antonio smirked.

“Hey!” Alfred snapped. If he were capable, he’d probably be blushing. Ivan smirked slightly.

“I think it’s cute,” Ivan offered and Alfred blinked, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Gag me,” Gilbert groaned, turning to walk towards the door. “You two can be couply all you want, but you can’t make me sit and watch.”

“Quit your complaining,” Francis sighed dramatically, following him with Antonio in tow. “I think it’s adorable.”

“Heh,” Alfred smirked proudly. “Looks like we really are acting like a couple now, huh?”

“There is a difference between acting like a couple and being a couple,” Ivan rolled his eyes.

“But it’s close,” Alfred flashed a bright smile. He slumped into a chair at a nearby table and motioned for Ivan to join him. Ivan obliged, looking at Alfred in interest. “Hey, be honest okay, what _do_ you think of me?”

“That’s a sudden question,” Ivan said.

“I mean,” Alfred shrugged, “I guess…if you were to…choose…would you marry me?”

Ivan sighed. He knew just what Alfred was asking this for, and he wasn’t being very subtle.

“I’m not sure,” Ivan said, leaning his head on his hand. “Don’t get me wrong, this is a major difference from when I first met you, when I honestly couldn’t say that I would voluntarily marry you. You’re a very interesting person, I’ll give you that much. You’re very…charismatic, too. One of your charms, I guess.”

“My charms?” Alfred smirked, leaning forward. “Care to offer me a few other of my charms?”

“You’re also very arrogant,” Ivan continued with a smile. “And as endearing as your pride is, you can be insufferable at times.”

“Hey,” Alfred frowned. “You’re not much better. I mean, have you seen the way you walk? You practically ooze ‘I’m superior’.”

“My family has a long history of people in high society,” Ivan rolled his eyes. “It just comes naturally to me.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Alfred snorted. “And there’s also that bullshit you spouted to me about stuttering and not speaking to anyone. But I’ve never seen you stutter once. And you went on and on about how you’ve never left your house or whatever.”

“Oh, and now you think I’ve told you lies?” Ivan raised a brow.

“Well, I mean,” Alfred chuckled, “you got married to a complete stranger. Of course you’d want to seem cool and brooding and mysterious.”

“You can’t say it didn’t work,” Ivan shrugged. It was all fun and games, Alfred was just trying to find a distraction from his thoughts and teasing Ivan seemed like the best outlet.

“Oh, so you do want to flirt with me now?” Alfred laughed.

“I can’t say you’re very good at keeping up with me,” Ivan smirked. Alfred balked.

“Excuse me, but last time I checked, I was the one that kissed you first,” Alfred pressed. Ivan snorted.

“That could hardly be considered a kiss,” Ivan said.

“Yeah, well, it’s pretty hard to make something interesting when the other party doesn’t even try,” Alfred leaned forward. “I bet you’re not even very good, that’s why you didn’t try.”

“There were a lot of reasons why I didn’t try,” Ivan said.

“Is one of them that you’ve probably never kissed anyone?” Alfred offered, his tone sounding like he pitied Ivan.

“Of course I’ve kissed someone,” Ivan scoffed. Never mind the fact that was a lie. Alfred would probably hang that over his head for eternity. “I’d have to say you’re the worst on my list.” That wasn’t necessarily a lie. Alfred was both the best and the worst on this new list.

“Then how about you prove your skills?” Alfred tried and Ivan blinked, staring at him for a short while. Well…considering Ivan’s current options…

“Fine,” Ivan said, standing from his chair and leaning forward enough to press his lips against Alfred’s. Alfred apparently wasn’t expecting anything like this, freezing up as Ivan placed a hand on his cheek.

Alfred placed two firm hands on Ivan’s shoulders, shoving him away.

“Wh-wh-what are you doing?” Alfred stammered. Ivan blinked before he let out a short laugh.

“You were the one that challenged me,” Ivan laughed, sitting back down.

“Well…I didn’t—you shouldn’t—who kisses some stranger anyway just because they made a stupid challenge?” Alfred blurted out.

“Are you usually this easy to fluster?” Ivan smirked, resting his head back on his hand. “I can’t imagine how often you blushed when you were alive.”

“Well, my last fiancé didn’t treat making me blush as a game,” Alfred pouted, arms crossed over his chest.

“I mean no offense, but I can’t imagine how uninteresting she must have been,” Ivan said. “Based on everything you’ve said to me, I’m apparently more interesting than her. And I’m not very interesting in the first place.”

“No, you’re plenty interesting!” Alfred all but shouted. Ivan smiled softly. Alfred relaxed back in his chair. “Whatever, it’s not like you have to believe me or anything…”

“The only people that have ever given me compliments are my own sisters,” Ivan said fondly. “Feel free to keep going, if you want to.”

“Well, nothing comes free,” Alfred shrugged. “I think you owe me a few compliments in return, huh?”

“I just gave you a few, didn’t I?” Ivan smirked.

“You called me annoying,” Alfred pouted. “And arrogant.”

“I said your pride was endearing,” Ivan laughed.

“Try again,” Alfred rolled his eyes. “Maybe try making me blush again.”

“I could always kiss you again,” Ivan challenged and Alfred stuttered. He was so flustered about it, wasn’t he? “Oh, so is that another challenge?”

“Well, maybe if you could prove that you don’t suck at kissing,” Alfred said resolutely.

“The only way I can do that is if you actually let me try rather than getting flustered and pushing me away.”

“Fine, then, try it.”

“I think I will.”

Ivan couldn’t honestly say what part of him thought this was a good idea. But, then again, most of his coherent thought had left him when he entered the Land of the Dead. Honestly, kissing a corpse wasn’t even the weirdest part of his adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I don’t even need to try in order for these two to start flirting. Just get them alone and they do it on their own. This story is turning out longer than I thought it would, but oh, well, I’m having fun.
> 
> Anyway, see you guys next time!


	7. Chapter 7

“Hey, Ivan,” Alfred mused as they walked down a street together. A lot of corpses milled around, some with drinks in their hands and some laughing at their new, funny joke. Ivan smiled faintly at them. It was never this lively in the Land of the Living.

Ivan hummed in acknowledgement to Alfred.

“Do you think…this is stupid…but…would you want to go back up?” Alfred asked sheepishly, looking up at the sky.

“Already?” Ivan asked curiously. “I’m not sure that’s a very good idea…” Ivan thought back to Arthur’s warning. Alfred technically had two more chances to go up, but Arthur would only let him go once. Ivan wanted to save that…just in case he decided to go through with this…

“Well, I mean, it wouldn’t be…back…look, there’s something I should show you,” Alfred rubbed is arm, his bones clacking.

“What?” Ivan asked curiously. Alfred didn’t look at him, but pursed his lips. “Alfred, what do you want to show me?”

“It’s uh…” Alfred huffed. “Look, just come with me, okay? And it’ll all make sense.”

Alfred started to move away, apparently expecting Ivan to follow. Ivan gripped onto his wrist, not the bone arm, and stared at Alfred’s eyes.

“No,” Ivan blurted out and Alfred gave him an odd look.

“You know, I would’ve thought you would want to go back,” Alfred smiled slightly. “I mean, if we’re fast enough, we could talk to your sisters and I can apologize, don’t you think…”

“No, I…uh…I want to explore down here more,” Ivan said.

“As interesting as this place is,” Alfred laughed, “it all pretty much looks the same. Besides, we have a lot of time to look around. This is kinda urgent.”

“Alfred,” Ivan muttered and Alfred frowned.

“What is it?” Alfred asked. “Why are you…”

“I talked with Arthur,” Ivan said simply. Alfred blinked.

“Y-You know how many times I can go up?” Alfred asked quietly. “And you’re stopping me now?”

“I don’t want you to waste what you have left,” Ivan said.

“How much do I have left?” Alfred asked. Ivan said nothing. “Look, this is important. I don’t care how many I have left, I need you to see this.”

“Alfred, I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Ivan shook his head. “Just tell me.”

“Look, it’s fine, I don’t care how many times I have left. This is for your sake, please,” Alfred sighed. “We’ll have enough time to find it and…look, we should go and we can figure this out later.”

“Alfred,” Ivan muttered.

“It’s not your decision to make,” Alfred argued. “I get to decide what’s important enough to go up for. Not you. You still have plenty of chances to go up.”

Ivan sighed, looking at the ground. Arthur wouldn’t let him go back up after this…And what if Ivan did decide to…well…

“Arthur can’t know,” Ivan said simply. “He won’t let you go up after this.”

“Whatever, the old man doesn’t need to know everything about me,” Alfred rolled his eyes. “Are we going? Have we made a deal?”

“Yeah,” Ivan nodded and let go of Alfred, following him through the streets and into the flower field. Ivan couldn’t stop the smile on his face as they passed through, observing all of the colors. Then they were in the forest, which quickly changed into the nearly dead forest of fall and a gust of cold wind sent shivers down Ivan’s spine.

“We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s keep moving,” Alfred said, taking a sharp turn. Ivan nodded and followed him close behind. They weaved through the trees easily until they came into a rather large clearing, which held a rundown looking house. It was massive, to say the least, but the windows were boarded and it looked even creepier now that Ivan could tell that the sun was almost finished setting.

Alfred didn’t even stop, simply walking forwards, going around the side of the mansion. Ivan regarded the sign near the front, where the dirt road was kicked up and practically unusable. “The Jones-Williams Estate”.

“Alfred, what is this place?” Ivan asked curiously as Alfred stopped at the doors that led to the cellar.

“My house,” Alfred sighed, jimmying the dusty and unused doors open so that they could descend into the darkness below.

“This is your house?” Ivan wondered. Ivan lived in a smaller house. Hell, Alfred’s house rivalled that of Ivan’s first fiancé.

“Long story,” Alfred sighed as they walked into the cellar. Ivan’s eyes adjusted fairly quickly, quite used to the darkness in the Land of the Dead. Alfred stormed right for the farthest wall, gripping onto a loose brick before pulling it out and letting it fall to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Ivan asked.

“Well,” Alfred said as he continued pulling the bricks away, “even though my family left because they couldn’t deal with my death…they had this sort of Egyptian way of thinking, you could say. They left me some things. My inheritance, I guess you could say.”

“Okay,” Ivan said suspiciously, looking over Alfred’s shoulder curiously. Through the darkness behind the bricks he could see something…but he wasn’t sure what he was seeing.

“I don’t really need it in the afterlife, obviously,” Alfred shrugged, finally pulling out a rather large, leather bag and placing it roughly on the ground. It jingled when it hit the ground. “My family was…uh…really well off, I guess you could say. Pretty much the only reason I lived as long as I could.”

“And you’re showing me this now because…?” Ivan asked. Alfred opened the bag up and Ivan stared in awe. Gold…jewelry. “Did you parents not believe in bills?”

“They’re weird people,” Alfred chuckled. “But this is for you…I guess…”

“If you don’t need it in the Land of the Dead, I don’t either,” Ivan shook his head.

“No,” Alfred pressed. “You keep…going on about how your family’s poor and they need to marry into money and…well…I’ve seen the way you talk about your sisters. You don’t want them to get married if they don’t have to. So…now they won’t have to.”

“Are you serious?” Ivan stared at the bag in complete shock. “I couldn’t…just…”

“I don’t need it,” Alfred said. “I can do what I want with it, it’s my inheritance. It should at least go to use, right? This should get your family out of poverty.”

“You don’t have to,” Ivan shook his head. “You could…give it to someone else…”

“Who?” Alfred asked. “The only person I’ve met that I’ve even shown this to is you, Ivan. You’re the only person I’ve cared about enough to want to do this. So…take it. It’s the least you deserve for dealing with my shit.”

Ivan felt his chest grow warm. He couldn’t believe Alfred was willing to just…give him so much. While nearly all Ivan had done was complain to him and deny that they were even together. Ivan smiled faintly. Alfred wasn’t about to let this go until Ivan took his offer.

Ivan immediately moved forward and wrapped Alfred into a tight hug, nestling his head in the crook of Alfred’s neck.

“Thank you,” Ivan muttered.

“Hey, no prob,” Alfred shrugged.

Ivan stared into Alfred’s shoulder. This meant…Ivan didn’t have to worry about who he married now. He was free to make that decision how he wanted. And Alfred…he was willing to give him so much…Ivan hugged him tighter.

“Hey, big guy, we’re gonna have to move quickly if we wanna get this to your family, right?” Alfred offered and Ivan immediately stepped back, a small blush on his face. Thank goodness it was dark…

“Right, of course,” Ivan nodded. Alfred picked up the bag without a problem, his strength coming in handy.

“We can get back to the town nearby and you can lead the way,” Alfred nodded. “I don’t really remember how to get there…”

“Yeah,” Ivan nodded and followed Alfred up the stairs. Ivan swiftly closed the cellar doors and followed Alfred as they rushed through the forest. Ivan couldn’t stop the smile on his face. Looking at Alfred, who just smiled for this selfless act he was doing. He didn’t even think Ivan loved him back…but it was really obvious…Alfred probably loved him. Ivan felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. Soon, they were in the town and Ivan took the lead, trying to keep them away from people so that no one paid very close attention to Alfred.

Ivan couldn’t help but feel like a stranger here, in the cold, dull world. He already missed the bright colors and sounds from below, the strangers he’d come to know as at least friends. Maybe there were more people he could meet…The only thing keeping Ivan’s heart here were his sisters, but Alfred had an equally strong grip on his heart. But after this…they wouldn’t really did him, would they?

They went in through the back door again and quietly went up the stairs. Ivan prayed that his parents weren’t around or awake. If he was lucky, they’d get in and out easily.

Ivan listened closely for the sound of his sisters talking, as they tended to do at night. They were in Natalia’s room. Ivan knocked before he opened the door carefully. His sisters stared at him in awe and surprise before rushing towards him, pulling him into hugs and showering him with kisses.

“Oh, Vanya, you’re back,” Katyusha sighed.

“He’s here,” Natalia said icily, pulling Ivan forcefully into the room. “What’s in the bag, another kidnapped man?”

“What?” Alfred asked innocently. He kicked the door closed slightly. “Heh, right…yeah…sorry…”

“No, don’t worry,” Ivan wormed his way out of her grip. He smiled at the sight of his sisters. Even their dull colors in the night shone with beauty. “He doesn’t mean any harm, it’s…a misunderstanding.”

“He took you away from us,” Natalia growled.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Ivan sighed. He wished he could stay with his sisters forever…He used to think that he could… “This is Alfred, I trust him, so you can, too.”

“So what is in the bag?” Katyusha asked curiously, blinking at him owlishly. Alfred shrugged sheepishly. He still felt bad about thinking that they were whores, didn’t he?

“Neither of you will have to get married without your consent,” Ivan pressed. “Even without me here. I promise.”

“I…uh…I figured that since I had already taken him away from you, I could try to repay you,” Alfred said simply. “I know it’s not the same, but this is all I can offer you.”

“All?” Ivan scoffed. Alfred rolled his eyes and opened the bag, showing its contents to Ivan’s sisters.

“Where did you get that?” Natalia asked in awe.

“It’s mine,” Alfred chewed his bottom lip. “Before I died. Long story…Heh…But it’s yours now. I’m giving it to you.”

“Well, it doesn’t equal brother,” Natalia pouted.

“You’re very kind,” Katyusha smiled.

“Alfred, how much time to we have?” Ivan asked curiously.

“Uh,” Alfred blinked. “Shit, I should have been keeping track.”

“What? You have to leave again?” Natalia immediately clung to his arm and Ivan smiled.

“I’m afraid I have to,” Ivan tucked her hair behind her ear. He then leaned close and whispered, “But I will be back soon, I promise. We have a few things we need to discuss.”

“You better keep that promise,” Natalia said.

“We need to tell mother and father about this news!” Katyusha beamed and Ivan winced. His parents were something he didn’t want to deal with right now. As much as he loved being with his sisters, his parents were a massive downside. “They’ll be so happy to see-”

The world faded around them as Ivan found himself back in a bar with the colorful wood and people surrounding him. Ivan frowned slightly at the loss of his sisters, but he still felt a warm feeling in his heart. It only grew when he looked at Alfred, who offered him a sheepish smile.

“So, no telling Arthur, right?” Alfred asked.

“Of course,” Ivan nodded.

“Alfred!” Gilbert yelled from the doorway and both of them blinked, looking at him. “I’ve been looking for your ass everywhere, where the hell have you been?”

“Uh, nowhere,” Alfred lied badly.

“Whatever, I don’t care if you were making out,” Gilbert scoffed and Ivan blushed. “We’ve got a new arrival, someone you’ve gotta see.”

“Who?” Alfred asked. Gilbert just smirked and started running down the street. “Hey!” Alfred snapped and ran after him, Ivan close behind. There weren’t many moments of peace here, were there?

There was a tiny crowd in the streets, mostly made up of Gilbert, Francis, Antonio, and Arthur, but a few others that found this newcomer interesting. As they ran, Alfred was in front so he could see the person before Ivan. He nearly stopped one second, but the next he ran impossibly fast, tackling the poor person into a massive bear hug. Ivan panted as he finally reached the group.

“Holy shit! Matt!” Alfred shouted happily, the person he was holding laughing and looking equally as happy when Ivan saw his face. And when he saw his face…he blinked, awestruck. He looked…remarkably like Alfred, but slightly different. Older. He had remnants of a beard he had neglected to shave, a less boyish face and build…Alfred placed him on the ground and placed both of his hands on the man’s shoulders, staring right into his eyes. “What happened?”

“Al, what…” the man seemed breathless, but Ivan knew better than anyone that no one breathed here but him. The man had simmering indigo eyes, a new bright eye color to add to the list. He looked so happy. “I didn’t think…where are we?”

“Matt,” Alfred fought back a frown. “How did you get down here? You have to tell me.”

“What are you talking about?” Alfred’s brother asked.

“What the hell has everyone been doing, just staring at you?” Alfred growled, glaring at the others. “Matt…I…I’m sorry to say this, but you’re dead.”

“I’m…what?” Matt blinked and stared at Alfred, fully taking him in. “Oh, well, I guess that explains a lot, huh?”

“Hey, no need to be sad,” Gilbert smirked. “Hell, dying is, by far, the best thing that’s happened to me.”

“And a cutie like you? You’re bound to have fun,” Francis laughed.

“And if you’re related to Alfred, I’m sure you’ll get along with everyone!” Antonio chimed.

“Forgive these brash idiots, lad,” Arthur glared at them. Ivan chuckled. You just didn’t get people like this up in the Land of the Living, did you?

“So this is where we go?” Matt asked Alfred curiously, ducking his head from the others. Ivan had a feeling that he blushed just as easily as Alfred, maybe even easier.

“Apparently,” Alfred shrugged. “But…what happened? If you didn’t know you’d died…”

“Well…I…” Matt closed his eyes in concentration. “Mom, Dad, and I were on a carriage ride across the country. We’d actually decided to try to find your grave and give you a proper burial if we could. They were finally ready to see you like that…I heard the coach driver yell at something and I remember the coach turning…”

“You were gonna look for me?” Alfred asked with a smile.

“Well, if I had known you were gonna deteriorate so fast, I would have tried to come sooner,” Matt smiled faintly at Alfred’s arm. “I’m sorry we were gone for so long.”

“It’s okay, I wasn’t alone,” Alfred beamed. “Let’s introduce you to everyone!” He proudly turned, his skeleton arm around his brother’s shoulders. “Everyone! This is Matthew!”

“Antonio!” Antonio introduced himself.

“You can call me Francis,” Francis bowed, taking Matthew’s hand and kissing it with a smirk. Matthew fought back a giggle.

“Gilbert the Awesomest,” Gilbert said proudly.

“You can ignore these idiots,” Arthur scoffed. “My name is Arthur, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“My name is Ivan,” Ivan decided he might as well introduce himself. Matthew blinked at him, obviously noticing that something was different about him right away.

“You’re…” Matthew frowned. “Everything is so bright here…why aren’t you?”

“Oh…um…” Ivan blinked.

“He’s my husband,” Alfred shrugged. “Er…well…do you still even want that title?” He turned to Matthew. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m still alive,” Ivan said and Matthew blinked.

“No one else gets it, either,” Gilbert sighed dramatically. “One day he just popped up. Who knows what’s gonna happen next!”

“Wait…” Matthew frowned, glaring at Alfred. “Husband? Alfred…you should’ve…”

“Should’ve what? Told you?” Alfred snorted. Matthew pouted. “What? He proposed to me, okay?”

“What?” Matthew blinked.

“I mean, it was an accident,” Ivan sighed with a small smile. “This idiot was the one that looked like a tree root.”

“Okay, you just didn’t look close enough,” Alfred rolled his eyes. “It’s called bone, genius.” Matthew laughed slightly.

“You really haven’t changed at all, Al,” Matthew smiled. “I’m happy I could see you again. I just hope Mom and Dad are alright.”

“Hey, I don’t see ‘em,” Alfred shrugged. “I’m sure they’re fine.”

Arthur walked over to Ivan as the two brothes started catching up about what Alfred had missed. Ivan looked at him curiously, but Arthur guided him a small distance away.

“Have you made your decision yet?” Arthur asked. “It won’t do either of you any good to just stretch this out.”

“I…” Ivan sighed, looking at Alfred. That smile on his face…it caused butterflies to zoom across his stomach. “I think I know. But I need to go back up one more time. To talk to my sisters.”

“Just do it quick,” Arthur sighed. “I don’t want to see him get hurt anymore.”

“Me neither,” Ivan hummed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a sudden Matthew has appeared! Obviously, he won’t look exactly like Alfred if it’s been a few years. Enough for Alfred’s skin and muscle to decay at least. But they look similar enough for everyone to tell. And Ivan’s close to making a decision now! I bet we all know what’s gonna happen, but oh well. Maybe like two or three chapters left for this?
> 
> See you next time!


	8. Chapter 8

Ivan crept through the forest by himself, a small shiver going down his spine once the cold air finally hit him. Alfred was sufficiently distracted by Matthew, leaving Ivan with more than enough time to do what he had to. The Land of the Living was bustling, the sun high in the sky by now. Ivan sighed heavily. He really didn’t want to be seen, especially not by his parents. That would slow him down far too much.

He stayed close to the shadows, keeping out of sight of nearly everyone he passed. A few people recognized him and offered waves to him. No one expected him to leave his house often. Hell, if his parents decided not to tell people of his disappearance, everyone must have thought that he was just being his usual, recluse self.

No one, apparently, seemed to care that he was in a dusty, torn suit. Finally, Ivan managed to make it to his house, hoping to look for his sisters. If he was lucky, at least one of them would be home and his parents would be busy. He’d been lucky so far…

He bit his lip as he walked into the house and stopped in his tracks when he heard someone humming in the kitchen. But he calmed down when he saw that it was Katyusha.

“Um, hello, sister,” Ivan rubbed the back of his head. Katyusha immediately turned around with a surprised smile, turning from the dishes she had been washing.

“Ah, Ivan, hello!” Katyusha smiled. “You’re already back? Where is…your husband?”

“Long story,” Ivan sighed. “Where is Natalia? I have something important to ask the both of you.”

“She was out shopping with our mother,” Katyusha mused. “They could be back sometime soon.”

“Have you…talked with them about what I left last night?” Ivan asked.

“Not yet,” Katyusha smiled. “We’ve been thinking about a way to talk to them about it. I didn’t get the chance to ask you. Does this mean that you don’t plan on coming back very often?”

“That’s…what I need to talk to you two about,” Ivan sighed. “As far as our parents know, I’m missing, right? You haven’t told them anything?”

“It’s not like we can explain very much,” Katyusha laughed slightly.

“Good,” Ivan nodded. As far as his parents were concerned, they could just assume that he was gone forever. “I…” Ivan stopped when he could faintly hear his mother and Natalia talking as they walked towards the front door. “Don’t tell mother I’m here. Come upstairs with Natalia and I can explain.” Ivan darted up the stairs before the door opened. He couldn’t let his parents know he was here. He didn’t exactly have a lot of time in the first place.

He paced in his room for a few minutes, trying to really process what he was going to say to his sisters. It wasn’t like he could just up and say that he wanted to kill himself so that he could be with his new, dead husband for eternity. Then again, this situation was already weird enough to begin with…

Ivan groaned, running a hand through his hair.

“You’re back!” Natalia smiled, running up to hug him tightly. Ivan smiled, immediately returning the sympathies. He took a deep breath.

“I still don’t have a lot of time,” Ivan said apologetically, looking up as Katyusha closed his door. “I need to…ask both of you something. It’s important.”

“Okay,” Katyusha nodded encouragingly.

“Okay…” Ivan took a deep breath. “I…I’ve learned recently, with my marriage to Alfred, it’s not final. To make it final…I…I’ll need to… _drinkpoison_ ,” Ivan muttered the words quickly and quietly. He’d never said it out loud himself, wasn’t quite sure about how he felt about it. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach at the thought…the thought of ending his own life and at the thought of being really…married to Alfred. He was already trapped in the Land of the Dead to begin with and…Alfred…

“You have to what?” Natalia blinked. She still hadn’t released Ivan and held onto him tighter.

Ivan sighed. He really didn’t have time to beat around the bush. As…awkward as it was, he had to be blunt.

“Vows are only good until death do you part,” Ivan said, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “Death has already parted us and in order for the vows to be good, I need to repeat them…and die.”

“Do you want to do this?” Katyusha asked, blinking owlishly. It was a big shock for everyone involved. Natalia hugged him tighter.

“You don’t, do you?” Natalia asked.

Ivan smiled faintly, patting her head. “I don’t know…I…Being around him has made me realize things about myself I’ve never thought about and I’ve never…been as awkward as I usually am around him. And he’s already done so much for me, himself. He risked a lot by coming up here to get me food and water and made sure I had privacy while I was asleep even though he didn’t have to. Not only that…he gave me all of that money for you. And it’s because of that that now you two don’t need to worry about marriage. And I don’t have to worry about marrying for money now and…I’ve never quite thought of that opportunity before.”

“But to end your life?” Katyusha asked hesitantly. “Isn’t that a bit…extreme?”

“Alfred couldn’t have known that I would be stuck down there when he brought me,” Ivan sighed heavily. “There’s really no way for me to stay up here for longer than an hour, and I can’t even do that for an unlimited amount of times. It’s already like I’m dead in the first place. Not only that, but with the way I am now, I’m only a burden on Alfred.” Ivan paused. When did he start caring more about Alfred than himself?

“So it’s because of him that we can’t see you anymore?” Natalia asked impatiently.

“I love both of you so much,” Ivan smiled. “That’s why I’m asking your opinion.”

“Are you sure this isn’t because you’re trapped with him?” Katyusha asked and Ivan sighed, maneuvering with his sister so that they could both sit down on his bed. Ivan shook his head faintly.

“It’s more than that,” Ivan mused. “I’ve never quite felt right in this world. Hell, I don’t leave the house often in the first place. Not only that, but I’ve actually managed to make friends in that world. I don't…I don’t stutter and I don’t have to worry about what they’ll think of me. I feel much more comfortable, the world is so much more vibrant and happy. To be frankly honest, when I’m down there it’s just like if I’m talking with you two. I feel comfortable down there. Regardless of if his marriage is really a good idea or not…I don’t think I could live in this world again after being in the Land of the Dead.”

“You really feel that way?” Natalia asked carefully, pulling back again to make sure she could look Ivan in the eye.

“I don’t know,” Ivan shrugged. Katyusha sat on his other side, a hand on his shoulder and a small smile on her face.

“If you really think about it,” Katyusha shrugged, “if you had actually gone through with the original marriage, we wouldn’t have seen much of you in the first place. And it’s hardly our decision to choose your love life.”

“But you should have a say if I decide to kill myself,” Ivan said bluntly. He was running pretty low on time, he had to make this decision sooner than later.

“Well, here’s what I have to say,” Natalia said pointedly. “You really do sound happy in this Land of the Dead and, as much as I love you and want you to stay, I want you to be happy. Seeing you sitting in your room all day is worse than you getting married to someone other than me. As terrible as it would be to not see you again…for a while…I’d prefer to see you happy once I do get to see you again. I will get to see you again, won’t I?”

“As far as I know, everyone will go down there eventually,” Ivan nodded slowly. “Are you really okay with this?”

“Your first fiancé hated me,” Natalia turned up her nose. “It’s not like I’ll actually be seeing you, either way. And I’d definitely prefer you to be happy over dealing with that bitch. I just know our parents would still make you go through with the marriage, even with all of this extra money. Just for the chance to have more.”

“I agree with Natalia,” Katyusha smiled softly. “I do think it’s a bit…extreme to go this far…but we will see you again. And it’s not like you’re leaving us in bad hands. Thanks to Alfred, we’ve never been better off.”

“As far as everyone else is concerned,” Natalia shrugged, “you disappeared and never returned. I kind of like the idea of being the only one to know where you’ve gone.”

Ivan chuckled. “I’m not sure if I should be concerned about how well both of you are taking this.”

“From what I’ve seen of this Alfred,” Katyusha said, “which isn’t much, he seems like a nice person. And if you’ve actually managed to find someone in your life to make you happy, even if it is in the afterlife, then I can’t say I hate the idea.”

“This is such a crazy idea,” Ivan chuckled, shaking his head.

“At the very least, I’d like to actually be around for this marriage,” Natalia said pointedly.

“Yes, of course,” Ivan smiled.

He was startled as the world changed around him, slowly getting darker, but at the same time more vibrant. He blinked and found himself on the ground, in the middle of a street this time. He smiled, slowly moving to stand. So…then…now all he had to do was sort through his own thoughts. His sisters had given their blessings, after all. So now all that was stopping Ivan were his own thoughts.

He stood up slowly, looking around to see if he could find anyone he recognized. Despite actually knowing any of the corpses around him, they all offered bright smiles at him and offered for him to have a pleasant day. Ivan mused as he walked away that they didn’t necessarily have days in the Land of the Dead.

Ivan smiled as he walked through the streets, watching everyone happily chatting and drinking whatever it was that they drank. And the colors…Going up to the Land of the Living so often made Ivan notice the differences more and more every time he went. As beautiful as his sisters were…they just seemed dull and lifeless in comparison to everyone down here, as ironic as that was. Even Ivan looked different. Everyone could tell he was alive. It did make him wonder, when he died, what would he look like? Probably nothing as colorful or vibrant as Alfred himself, but, hell, he could hope. He smiled faintly at the thought.

Alfred was completely enthralled and focused on him, even when Ivan was dull and gray, even when Ivan was the least interesting person in their world. Honestly, what a strange concept.

“There you are!” Alfred shouted and all but tackled Ivan to the ground, if Ivan hadn’t thought to use quick footwork to catch himself.

“Hello, you were looking for me?” Ivan chuckled. Alfred looked up at him with a bright smile and nodded.

“Just because I go off chatting with my bro doesn’t mean I’m completely ignoring my own husband,” Alfred scoffed, looking back to his brother, who walked up to them laughing.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with my brother for eternity, Ivan,” Matthew laughed and Ivan blushed. Eternity…right…Eternity down here wouldn’t be bad. And there wasn’t exactly anything wrong with…speeding up the process a little…

“I mean, eternity’s a pretty long time,” Alfred said, flustered. Right, he still hadn’t told Ivan about that little secret.

“Hm, Alfred, if you wouldn’t mind,” Ivan hummed, “could I have a word with you in private?”

“Ivan, if you wanted to make out with me again, you could’ve just asked,” Alfred laughed. “No need to beat around the bush.”

“You’re hilarious,” Ivan said bluntly. “Please?”

“Yeah, sure,” Alfred nodded. “Matt, you can find Gil and the others, right? Do you wanna hang with them ‘till I get back?”

“Sure,” Matthew nodded happily. “We have a long time to catch up, I’m not too worried.” Alfred waved to his brother as he left, a bright smile on his face. He let out a long sigh.

“Damn, I’ve missed him,” Alfred kicked the ground with a goofy grin on his face. “Shame he had to die, you know, to see me, but…it’s great to see him again.”

“On that topic,” Ivan sighed and Alfred’s face fell slightly. “I…Well, I overheard your conversation with Gilbert and Arthur.”

“You…uh…what…” Alfred blinked at him with wide eyes. “W-What c-conversation?”

“Alfred, I know about our vows and what I would have to do in order for us to really be married,” Ivan said sternly, bluntly. Wow, he was actually proud of himself for getting that out.

“Okay,” Alfred slumped. “Then…uh…I guess the game’s over then, huh? Are you back to looking for a way up? I mean, if you don’t want me to bother you again, I won’t…” Ivan smiled, biting back a small laugh at just how…dejected Alfred looked.

“No, Alfred, that’s not what I’m saying,” Ivan said, tucking a finger under Alfred’s chin. Alfred looked up in confusion, staring at his eyes. Those bright, shimmering pools of light. “I think we should do this right, don’t you?”

“What?” Alfred asked, dumbfounded. Ivan giggled slightly, taking advantage of Alfred’s confusion to give him a small peck on the lips and slipping the ring off of Alfred’s finger.

“I have an important question to ask you, Alfred,” Ivan said with a small smile. This was cheesy, but what the hell. He knelt down onto one knee, holding up that simple ring that had caused so many problems…but had really pointed him in the right direction. “Do you want to marry me? For real this time?”

“Uh…I…” Alfred blinked. Ivan stayed where he was. “Y…You overheard the right conversation, right? Like…you know you have to…drink poison and…die, right?”

“I’ve given in a lot of thought,” Ivan said, regarding the ring that he held in the air. “I’ve even gone and talked to my sisters about it.”

“And you’re sure about this?” Alfred asked.

“Yes,” Ivan smiled.

“Then get your face up here, idiot,” Alfred smirked and Ivan smiled, standing for Alfred to take hold of his head with both of his hands, igniting a fierce kiss. Ivan laughed into the kiss. He stole Alfred’s hand, never breaking the kiss, and slid the ring back over the bone, where it rightfully belonged.

“So…was that a yes?” Ivan asked when he pulled back for air. Something he wouldn’t have to do in the near future…

“As long as you’re absolutely sure,” Alfred said.

“I think this is the best decision I’ve made,” Ivan smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, quick disclaimer here, I don’t think it’s a good idea to “fall in love” with someone you’ve known for only a few days, let alone marry them. This story called for this kind of plot, if any of you know any of my other stories, you know I like the slow burn, because that’s more realistic. I don’t think that anyone should kill themselves to marry a corpse they’ve just met. I am not advertising this here.
> 
> With that out of the way, we’re almost done. I think just one more chapter and I’m done. I’m not really feeling in the mood to write an epilogue for this one. But, yeah, they’re getting married next time and y’all know what that entails, you have been warned, right here.
> 
> I’ll see you next time!


	9. Chapter 9

They didn’t make a big deal about it. After all, they had about an hour once they got to the Land of the Living and Ivan was intent on making sure his sisters could be there. Alfred, of course, wanted Matthew to be there and they kind of needed Gilbert, the only guy they really knew that knew where to find the ‘right poison’, whatever it was. With Gilbert knowing about it, of course news spread. Arthur was immediately at Alfred’s side to talk over this with him.

“Are you absolutely sure this is the right decision?”

“Yes…”

“You haven’t gone back up without me knowing, right?”

“Uh…nope.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not, jeez, old man.”

“Old?”

And on it went.

Ivan almost felt bad for lying to Arthur, knowing full well that this would be Alfred’s last time going up to the Land of the Living. But he had made sure Alfred knew that as well, knew what he would be risking. But of course the idiot didn’t care. He was just happy to be able to finally stop being a groom and actually be someone’s husband. To someone he really did care about a lot.

Naturally, Gilbert needed the help of his best friends, Antonio and Francis, to get the poison. Or at least that was his excuse for them coming along. Because it was important.

Regardless, Alfred spent the entire time waiting to go up right beside Ivan, never once letting go of his hand, stealing kisses whenever he could. Ivan would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous…he was about to basically kill himself for the sake of this man. But…he didn’t feel like he was leaving much in the Land of the Living. Only his sisters, who had encouraged his actions. Still, that didn’t do much to calm his nerves. Alfred’s thumb tracing the back of Ivan’s hand did help a little bit.

It was about an hour, maybe longer (Ivan’s sense of time went out the window when he was nervous), until they finally walked through the woods. It was Gilbert, Francis, Antonio, and Matthew’s first time hearing of something like this. Matthew was honestly quite surprised and interested in it, asking Alfred if he used it often. Alfred just waved away the question. The Trio seemed to absolutely love the idea and Arthur didn’t seem to bother with his usual warning about coming up too often.

It was night when they came, time apparently flowing differently in the Land of the Dead than in the Land of the Living. Ivan had been quick to pick up his sisters, who honestly seemed surprised that it was happening so fast.

Time moved so quickly, and at the same time so slowly. The time it took to sneak into the little church at the end of town seemed to take an eternity, but also it seemed to happen in a flash. The time it took to talk to everyone left him impatient, but at the same time he couldn’t find himself to remember the conversations, they all happened so fast. The one constant, that seemed to travel at the same speed through time as him, was Alfred, who had never released his hand.

“Okay, it’s been a few years since I’ve done this,” Gilbert shrugged. They were at the very front of the church, intent on getting this done quickly. Gilbert had just one cup and a little bottle of what looked like wine, that was it. They rested on a table that didn’t even have a cloth over it. Everyone else sat in the benches behind them. Kind of anticlimactic, but they were low on time and Alfred couldn’t come back up anymore…not that Arthur ever needed to learn that…

“From what I hear,” Gilbert smirked, “Ivan knows his vows pretty well, so it looks like I won’t need to go over them.” Ivan blushed slightly and Alfred laughed, letting go of his hand for the purpose of taking off the ring, hopefully for the last time. He placed it carefully in Ivan’s hand, looking at him with a bright smile.

“You still good with this?” Alfred asked. “Last chance to back out.”

“I’d prefer to give you a proper wedding,” Ivan smiled, closing his hand over the ring. He felt like he should have been shaking or…something. But all that remained were the butterflies in his stomach. They only showed up when he looked at the wine. The poison. He was confident in his decision with Alfred, didn’t regret anything.

“Fine, quickly then,” Gilbert nodded. Ivan and Alfred nodded in unison.

“With this hand,” Alfred spoke first, holding out his hand to Ivan, who took it, “I will lift your sorrows.” He paused, seemingly hesitant to let go of Ivan’s hand, but he did, taking the cork out of the wine bottle. “Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine.” He glanced at Ivan, as if asking again if he was sure. When Ivan nodded again, he continued, pouring the wine into the glass before setting it down. “No candles, but uh…I’ll still light your way in darkness. With your ring, I ask you to be mine.”

“Candles are overrated anyway,” Gilbert muttered under his breath as Ivan shook his head, staring at the wine. It looked darker than red wine, though. It looked almost black and quite a lot of Ivan’s mind was telling him to run away from it. But Ivan fought against them and took hold of the cup.

“With this hand,” Ivan held up his free hand, looking Alfred in the eye this time, “I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine.” Ivan took a deep breath, staring into the liquid in the cup. “I vow to light your way in darkness as well.” Gilbert snorted. Ivan rolled his eyes, but raised the cup to his lips. He would need to complete his vows when dead. Easy enough…

He tipped the cup up and the second the liquid reached his lips, his entire body started screaming at him to drop it, not let the liquid into his mouth. But he did. It didn’t quite taste like anything, though it was faintly sweet. It wouldn’t require a lot, he hoped…It took more effort than he thought to swallow, but a glance in Alfred’s direction gave him the proper strength.

He didn’t…feel much different, after the wine went down his throat. He looked at Alfred, slightly nervously, as he set the cup down on the table. Ivan could feel the eyes on him, waiting for what would happen. For a brief moment, he wondered if he’d had enough to drink…

And then…it wasn’t pain…but he felt something in his chest. His heart…He couldn’t stop himself, he gripped hard onto his chest, crumpling the shirt and jacket with it. He tried to suck in a breath, but his lungs refused to budge, like they were frozen. His entire body felt hot for a few seconds before he felt everything go limp. He thought for sure that he was going to crash onto the ground, but something stopped him…He couldn’t…feel anything and his world was black, all he knew was that he was suspended in the air by something.

The world slowly filtered back into his vision. The blackness slowly prickling away as the view of the stone floor came into view. It was so…gray…

Ivan still couldn’t feel anything. When he sucked in a breath, nothing came, his lungs still frozen. He felt oddly…empty…nothing inside of his body was moving anymore and he didn’t know he would have been able to feel it. But he was incredibly conscious of the fact that blood was no longer moving inside of his body, that his heart wasn’t beating anymore.

“Hey…” The voice was dull at first and Ivan blinked, trying to register it. Where was he again? “You good to keep going?” Alfred…Ivan snapped into attention. The church, the wedding. Right…He opened his mouth to say he was fine, but was struck with how the words got stuck in his throat, his vocal chords stiff and unwilling to move. Everything felt so stiff, he wondered if he could properly move. But Alfred… “It’s going to be fine,” Alfred assured him in a quiet, now clear voice. “It feels like nothing will move, but it all moves really easily. Just give it a try, stand up, it’s gonna be okay.”

Ivan tested that theory by nodding his head. He was sure his neck wouldn’t move, no matter how hard he tried, but the nod came easily. Something he couldn’t feel helped him to his feet and he stood there, unsteadily, staring at the table, where the wine still sat, undisturbed. Ivan glanced at Gilbert first, who gave him a nod to take his time. But Ivan knew there wasn’t, exactly, a lot of time.

He looked at Alfred, who gave him a bright smile. This was what everyone he’d been around dealt with every day? Ivan couldn’t feel any part of his body, wanted desperately to breathe but couldn’t find the strength.

“All that’s left is the ring, big guy,” Alfred said encouragingly and Ivan looked at his hand, which was still, surprisingly clenched around the ring. Even while he died…it stayed firm in his grasp. “Talking’s not that hard, I promise.”

Ivan nodded faintly and slowly opened his hand. His bones and muscles felt unyielding but his hand opened up as easily as ever.

“W…” Ivan tested speaking. It wasn’t as hard as his muscles and head made him think it would be. He swallowed thickly. At least that was working as normal… “With this ring…” Ivan said, his own voice sounding weird to his own ears. It sounded like…he had more life in him than before… He smiled faintly, carefully taking Alfred’s bone hand into his own. “I ask you to be mine.”

That was more than enough to fully snap Ivan back to the present, sliding the ring onto the finger with finality, feeling what faintly felt like...static. He fully succumb to his smile as he did it, looking Alfred in the eye again.

“You two can ‘I do’ and kiss whenever you’re ready,” Gilbert sighed after a short while and Alfred jumped, but laughed.

“Right…right…yeah, I-I do,” Alfred smiled, not once looking away from Ivan.

“I do as well,” Ivan nodded. No turning back, even if he wanted to.

It was odd… nothing felt right. Ivan couldn't feel the clothing on him like he used to, couldn't feel anything except for the static between his hand and Alfred's. The second Alfred’s lips connected with his, however, he could feel a fire on his mouth. Like electricity surged through him and gave his entire body feeling again. Ivan almost surged forward, tried to press his body closer to Alfred, as close as possible…Was this what Alfred felt when they kissed…?

When they finally pulled away, Ivan felt the numbness return to him, but he honestly couldn’t say he regretted anything he’d done. Alfred laughed.

“Your eyes are fucking gorgeous, by the way,” Alfred whispered to him and Ivan was sure that, if he could blush, he would have.

He finally turned towards the rest of the people in the church, those that waited patiently for him to properly die and come back to his senses after waking up again. Natalia tried to look indifferent, but smiled at Ivan when they made eye contact. Katyusha had managed to shed a tear. Francis and Antonio were clapping like idiots while Matthew just leaned forward and smiled. Arthur just nodded, not making a big deal about it.

“Alright, then,” Gilbert sighed. “I now pronounce you husband and husband and you two can do whatever married corpses go off and do.”

“Jerk,” Alfred snorted, but held onto Ivan’s hand tightly. Skin-on-skin contact once again shot electricity through Ivan’s still body, warmth curling around where his heard laid unmoving. Ivan smiled and squeezed him back. If this was how Alfred felt, too…Ivan wasn’t going to let him go.

Before Ivan could even open his mouth to talk to his sisters, the world filtered around them, the corpses now returned to the Land of the Dead. Ivan smiled faintly, he had a few more chances to talk to them, but he could take his time.

“You two go get some space,” Gilbert said, all but forcing them out of the building they’d managed to appear in this time. Alfred and Ivan just laughed, not fighting it as they stepped into the street. Ivan stared at their hands, swiping his thumb over Alfred’s hand.

“Is this what you feel like, too?” Ivan wondered.

“Like what?” Alfred hummed contentedly.

“When we touch…” Ivan mused as Alfred started pulling him down the street happily. “It’s the only time I can feel…”

“Do you mind it?” Alfred asked shyly. “Not feeling anything?”

“Well, as long as I keep you close by, I don’t think I mind anything,” Ivan smiled, keeping Alfred’s pace easily. Alfred stopped suddenly in front of what looked almost like a shop, but the window was lined with mirrors, half of them broken.

“Go ahead and take a look,” Alfred smirked. “A few things happen when you die, if you haven’t noticed.”

“I hardly think I look very impressive,” Ivan snorted and Alfred rolled his eyes, forcing Ivan to look the right direction.

“You were always hot, just so you know,” Alfred smirked as Ivan stared at his reflection in wonder. His hair, even though it was almost white, looked like it almost shone. And his eyes…the violet seemed to spring to life on his dead face, seemed to sparkle. And the suit his sister had hand-made for him seemed to have exploded with stars, the purples and blues and greens far brighter than Ivan ever thought them capable. His scarf was still snug against his neck and he couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped his lips.

“I still think you look better,” Ivan mused, not looking away from his reflection, where he stood right beside Alfred, who laughed. He never looked happier.

“You’re amazing,” Alfred said simply, snuggling against Ivan’s shoulder. “Not a lot of people would do that for someone like me.”

“You just aren’t talking to the right people,” Ivan chuckled. “Let’s go take a look at those flowers again.” He wanted to see the sunflowers again with new eyes, and with that familiar electricity jolting around his body, making him feel not dead, but not alive at the same time.

He would never let Alfred go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! I sort of lost inspiration for this at the very end of it…So that’s why the beginning of it is kinda lazy and lame, sorry, can’t really fix it, though. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story, it was kind of fun for me, different from what I usually do. Again, I don’t condone getting married and falling in love with someone you just met. I believe in dating for a few years first. But whatever. Don’t do what Ivan did, please. Still, nice love story, cheesy ending is cheesy, what are you gonna do.
> 
> See you guys in the next story!


End file.
